Stage: Cheeky deities

Return of the Godz
by Head First Acrobats
performers Callan Harris, Liam Dummer, Thomas Gorham, AJ Saltalamacchia, Mat Piva
costumes Chelsea Angell, Bryn Meredith
Peacock Theatre, London • 10-20.Jun.26 ★★★★

Australia's Head First Acrobats brings an updated version of their audience-favourite show back to Peacock. And the five performers are having so much fun that they infect the audience with their cheeky charm. These men are seriously gifted at feats of strength and balance, but they're also relentlessly silly, sexy and a lot of fun.

A loose story establishes them as the family of Zeus, who in voiceover insists that they behave. But they enjoy playing far too much, led by the charismatic Hercules (Callan Harris) and egged on by Cupid (Liam Dummer), Apollo (Thomas Gorham), Dionysus (AJ Saltalamacchia) and Hermes (Mat Piva). They kick things off with a series of remarkably slow, controlled movements with impressive hand and head stands that are peppered with amusing moments.

Indeed, witty touches are everywhere, including continual asides to the audience in the form of poses and grins. Their personalities spark on-stage, creating strong characters that add a kick to their physical prowess. There's ladder balancing, flaming batons, knife throwing, a tower of chairs, flips and tumbles, extreme aerial work and some outrageous juggling. In between is plenty of goofy schtick, including a bit of audience participation and some flashy choreography. 

Just after the interval, they get up to a series of outrageous manoeuvres completely naked. The challenge is to protect their dignity while striking Greek statue poses, with plenty of distractions from their colleagues. So while the narrative spirals wildly out of control, there's a nonstop series of entertaining acrobatics that often take the breath away with sheer skill and audacity.

Thankfully, the stag remains relatively simple, with accompanying snappy pop tunes from Need You Tonight to Filthy Gorgeous. The resulting atmosphere echoes a freewheeling circus, offering moments that feel improvised as these guys continually poke fun at each other. This also allows the focus to remain balanced between their impressive physicality and their sparky flirtation. 

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photos by Beck Stone, Jacinta Oaten • 10.Jun.26