What starts as a Pride month celebration of strength and queerness ends up somewhere between acrobatic brilliance and awkward camp

Somewhere between Mount Olympus and a drag brunch, Godz tries to have it all. Circus, theatre, myth, and muscle. But not everything strikes gold. Presented by Australian company Head First Acrobats, the show arrives at the Peacock Theatre in London with bare chests, Greek iconography, and a whole lot of glitter. Part of this year’s Pride month offerings, it is loud, sexy, and built around physical spectacle. But take away the bodies and the show struggles to stand on its own.

This is a physical theatre piece driven entirely by four acrobats: Callan Harris, Thomas Gorham, Jordan Twartz, and Liam Dummer. Together, they shift through personas of Hercules, Hades, Dionysus, and Zeus. Narrative is loose at best. The cast, all exceptionally trained, deliver high-stakes physicality across a lean 75 minute run. Straps, diabolo tricks, ladder climbs, pyramids of flesh. It is as if Greek mythology stumbled into Jock Night and decided to show off a few circus tricks between dance breaks.

And let’s be honest. The muscled, oiled bodies are probably 95 percent of the sell. Nudity does happen, as teased in trailers, and the show leans into that anticipation unapologetically. The audience, primed for it, responds with giddy delight. At times, the homoerotic tension and slow motion posing feel like a live tribute to Derek Jarman’s Sebastiane. It is less about storytelling, more about bathing the male form in myth, sweat, and stares. But once you move past the skin, things start to falter.

The set design is almost nonexistent, save for a few props. The show relies heavily on charm and interaction, but many jokes stretch too long, land offbeat, or dissolve into silence. At times, it feels like a Fringe show trying to fill a larger space it was never meant for. What might have felt cheeky and intimate under a circus tent now stretches thin inside a West End theatre.

There is technically a script, but it often gets lost in the chaos. The scenes feel loosely stitched together, with acrobatic acts interrupted by pop culture nods, clumsy jokes, and improvised banter. Transitions are jarring, with some moments so abrupt they feel accidental. More than once, the performers push for audience reactions that never quite come.

The best moment comes with the dance sequence using golden plates. Cheeky, well timed, and playfully choreographed, it finally brings the room alive. It is here that everything clicks. The camp, the talent, the wink. You can feel the performers enjoying themselves, and the audience joins them. Another clever bit comes earlier on, when towels become props for a sleight of hand costume reveal. It is a fun and unexpected twist that stands out.

Still, nothing in the show compares to the raw skill of the acrobatic acts themselves. From partner balancing to group pyramids, performed without visible safety rigging, these sequences carry the entire production. The performers are not just strong. They are magnetic, in control, and beautifully in sync. At times, the homoerotic tension and slow motion posing feel like a live tribute to Derek Jarman’s Sebastiane. It is less about storytelling, more about bathing the male form in myth, sweat, and stares.

The problem lies in everything in between. The pacing sags. Direction feels absent. Some moments feel too amateur for the scale of the venue, and the attempts at sexual innuendo start to feel less cheeky, more strained. It is like watching incredibly talented performers try to hold together a spectacle with duct tape and bravado.

And yet, there is something refreshing about seeing unapologetically queer, athletic bodies take up space on a major London stage, especially during Pride month. Godz may not be a fully formed production, but it is a reminder that joy, play, and physical expression are still radical when dressed in jockstraps and glitter.

Final thoughts: 5 stars for the acrobatic acts and their integration with Greek mythology. 3 stars for the show as a whole. With a stronger director and tighter transitions, Godz could truly ascend. For now, it is a hot mess with divine potential.