Head First Acrobats – GODZ ★★★ Sadler's Wells Peacock Theatre | June 11 - 14, 2025


Could this be a new genre? Comedic, acrobatic burlesque? GODZ, which is presented by Apollo, Dionysos, Cupid and Hercules, delivers some inane comedy, some impressive acrobatics and some inoffensive nudity. It is all good fun, even if it doesn't make much sense. Why the four Greek gods? Who knows? With a meagre narrative and minimal characterisation, that is never quite clear, and it probably doesn't matter. On the plot side of things however, we thought the distinction between the Greek Hades and the Christian Hell which is amusingly introduced could have been exploited for a lot more humour. The heart of the show is really the acrobatics, and what the four performers do with chairs, aerial straps and a ladder is quite breathtaking. They had the audience on the edge of their seats with their wonderful shenanigans. However, the point of the sequence with the whip and candles was simply unclear, and the yo-yoing bit which demonstrates some awesome prowess left us briefly wondering about the point of developing such skills. But, maybe the same question could be asked of most acrobatic, or, for that matter, athletic endeavours. GODZ is nicely paced so that most of the time such questions don't interfere with one's delight in what is going on, but it does seem that this is more of a fringe show. It suffers somewhat from a lack of intimacy and personal audience interaction which is the strength of a smaller venue. Still, GODZ achieves what it sets out to do. The audience is amused, amazed and maybe slightly aroused.

Rated: ★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Beck Stone

When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: Portugal St, London WC2A 2HT, UK

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