Return of the Godz (Sydney Fringe) ★★★★

Head First Acrobats. Sydney Fringe Festival. Entertainment Quarter, Fool’s Paradise, The Virago. 22 Aug – 11 Oct, 2026.

If you stepped out of a screening of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey wondering where all the gods were, look no further. They have been made flesh, a lot of flesh actually, at Sydney Fringe where they’re getting up to all sorts of high-flying hijinks. Yes, it’s the Return of the Godz — they’re back and they’re ready to party.

What was once a four-piece, has now had its members swollen to five as Cal Harris, Thomas Gorham, Liam Dummer, AJ Saltalamacchia & Mat Piva channel the Greek gods and one demi-god. They are here to play hard and dazzle us with feats of strength, balance, skill and gravity-defying aerials.

But what makes Head First Acrobats stand out from many other “sexy circus” acts is their sense of humour, bringing a larrikin/juvenile silliness to events. The dick jokes abound along with plenty of camp flirting and teasing of the audience. The nudity will put a smile on your face.

If you saw the show back in 2024 it’s still much the same, with some additional acts woven in – including AJ Saltalamacchia’s knife throwing and Mat Piva’s fire act. This time around, Head First Acrobats are building on their international success, with a larger performance tent and a six-week run at Sydney Fringe. They’ve also brought back their Rated-G show All Star Circus with a focus on more family-friendly acts (more clothes, fewer knives).

It’s clear the audience was having a ball, from the identikit 30-something Darlinghurst gays, the duos of 40-something straight women having a giggle, the intrepid adult kids bringing their mum, even the bewildered straight men who obviously had no idea what they were getting themselves into. The circus talents are impressive, the camp nonsense is just the cherry on top.

So if you’re in the market for some raunchy physical comedy mixed with some cunning stunts, Return of the Godz might be just what you need.