Review by Hannah Fredriksson
If you’re looking for a Fringe show that features hot, sweaty men performing amazing feats of strength and dexterity while wearing next to nothing (and sometimes just nothing), I promise you’re in for a good time with Godz.
Head First Acrobats have taken their skillset and placed it in the context of Greek mythology, The show follows the antics of Hercules, Dionysus, Cupid and Icarus as they keep the wine flowing and entertain the audience, until they incur the anger of the king of the gods Zeus and get sent to the underworld where horrors await…
Jordan Twartz treats us to a Diabolo routine as Dionysus the god of wine, which is brilliant because the diabolo looks exactly like a big goblet. Despite not landing his big finale, the audience was still begging for more because the showmanship was just so confident and endearing.
Thomas Gorham shows his aerial skill as Icarus and later Hades. He makes it all the way to the ceiling of the Main Hall at Girls School, as close as humanly possible to ‘too close to the sun’ within the confines of the venue.
Liam Dummer (playing Cupid) creates some wonderful dramatic tension as he constructs and ascends a tower of precariously stacked chairs, performing handstands at every stage as the stakes and the structure get higher and higher. The audience watched in awed silence, hanging on his every move.
Cal Harris shows some masterful work with a ladder as Hercules, appearing to defy gravity as he climbs up and down and performs handstands on the ladder as it stands upright completely unsupported.
The Godz take every opportunity to play up to the audience and really get them going. It’s one thing to have acrobatic skill, but to present it in a way that tells a story and has the audience in silent awe one second and howling in laughter the next is pure magic.
The costumes were a marvel because they looked effortlessly draped yet they didn’t fall out of place throughout the highly physical performance. They fit the Greek aesthetic and allowed the acrobats to move while treating the audience to some serious eye candy.
The lighting throughout the show did wonders to set the mood, drawing attention to specific points of focus and creating dramatic tension. The music and audio cues were also perfectly curated – on one hand featuring modern pop and rock music from Sbtrkt, Rammstein and Rihanna (S&M as Hercules enters christian hell was just so right) yet also including eerie violins, elevator music, and Disney favourite Zero to Hero (because how could you not?). All of it together takes you on a journey of dynamic highs and lows, nervous tension and risque excitement.
Godz is a steamy combination of acrobatic skill and cheeky comedy that is sure to thrill. A highlight of the Fringe Festival season - keep an eye out for Head First Acrobats in future years because they promise to slay!
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