Godz (Sydney Fringe) ★★★★

Head First Acrobats. Sydney Fringe. Spiegeltent Festival Garden The Vault. 30 Aug – 15 Sep, 2024

Greece is the word! Head First Acrobats bring their 2074-years-in-the-making-more-or-less show Godz to Sydney Fringe to make you believe in the supernatural. Or at the very least the super “au-naturel”. 

Cal Harris, Thomas Gorham, Liam Dummer and Jordan Twartz play a succession of Greek gods here to amaze us mere mortals with gravity-defying stunts, Herculean feats of physical strength, whips, ropes and breaking. It’s an eclectic skillset geared towards one thing – a lot of fun.

Familiar circus and acrobatic tricks are given a fresh twist and lashings of cheek as the lads flirt, flip and flash their way across the stage. Make no mistake, this show is both carnal and camp. What more do you expect from Dionysis and Cupid? 

Godz is a comedy show through and through. While the circus tricks are thrilling and impressive, it’s the showmanship and humour that makes this show what it is. From slapstick to a bit of mime and some absurdist moments, the variety of comedic tricks is almost as varied as the acrobatic feats. Each cast member has a wink in their eye promising chaos at any moment. Like members of a boyband, they each have their own look and get their moment to shine.

There is playful nudity in abundance, carefully choreographed but, well, let’s just say I can confirm that at least two of the cast aren’t Jewish. It’s sexy in a laid back, larrikin kind of way. The addition of Gorham’s breakdancing skills (balancing on his head, on a trapeze was a particularly impressive feat) shakes things up a bit from your standard acrobatic fare. 

Godz is a hell of a lot of flesh-filled entertainment and a real crowd pleaser. While their skills are terrific, it’s the cheeky charm and joyful abandon in their eyes that gets the crowd roaring. And apologies to Sister Act, but these nuns are more fun.