Manchester Theatre News & Reviews

REVIEW - The Fates have spoken! It is your destiny to go and watch Oh Zeus!

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We were invited to The Quays Theatre at Lowry, Salford, to see Oh Zeus!. Read what our reviewer Karen Ryder had to say about this brilliant Le Navet Bete play...

Le Navet Bete have become one of the UK’s leading midscale theatre companies for physical theatre and comedy, cooking up a storm wherever they go with their creativity, innovativeness, and uniquely brilliant brand of comedy. Their style seems spontaneous and chaotic, bringing a giddiness and squeals of authentic delight from audience members who are lucky enough to see them in action, but there is a carefully honed and practised team running the show, who have professionalism running through their veins, ensuring excellence is at the heart of their work time and time again. The result is one of sheer joy as founders Matt Freeman, Al Dunn, and Nick Bunt multi role their way through telling a story in ways you may never have seen before. They are known for smashing down the fourth wall, involving audience members, exploring physicality to dizzying new heights, and running themselves ragged for our enjoyment! Oh Zeus is their first project that hasn’t been based around an existing story, instead taking a genre of stories and weaving a new plotline into it as well as their own brand of magnetic magic. Workshopped with the team and written by Olivier nominated John Nicholson, Oh Zeus has been receiving wonderful reviews up and down the country, and so as someone who embraces the zany, I have been looking forward to this one for a while.

The story unfolds on Mount Olympus as Zeus makes his Godly feelings known about his daughter Hebe’s fiancé. She wants to marry Gregg, a mere mortal who runs a hotel that has seen better days! Think Fawlty Towers meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding, for all the family have checked into Hotel Krapios for the event of the year! But when one half of the couple’s family are all Greek Gods who love nothing better than to hold grudges against each other, seek revenge, respect, and one upmanship through any means necessary, then your wedding day is in danger of being hi-jacked beyond recognition. Indeed, it ends with Zeus being lured to the underworld where Hades manipulates him into tackling a series of trials. But will Zeus come out triumphant or will the trials push his sanity to the brink of extinction?! And will he be able to face the real reasons he is there in the first place? With an endless stream of characters to meet, expect the unexpected throughout. Your senses will be tickled with a tantalising bevvy of theatrical brilliance and completely bonkers moments that have to be seen to be believed. So as Zeus tries to control destiny, Hebe prepares to take on the worst name ever, Hera sashays her way between worlds, and Gregg hero worships his father-in-law to be, you will also be entertained with impossibly quick costume changes, songs, musical parodies, sausage rolls, swan pedalos, nut allergies, togas, and top trumps! Not to mention a twerking Cerberus, dancing inflatable tube people, a talking plant riding a unicycle called banana split, or a pooping centaur! And as crazy as that all sounds, trust me, it all makes perfect sense when you watch the show, and leaves you gasping for air as you belly laugh your way through this riotous play!

There is a stella team at work to make Oh Zeus what it is, from the actors, to the creatives, to the backstage crew who must work their socks off to ensure the play runs smoothly, for it is jam packed with hidden entrances, exits, and changes that bring a whole new meaning to ‘quick change!’. Fi Russell has designed a set and costumes that amplify the world in which Oh Zeus lives in. The Greek Gods, myths, and legends have been captured in that uniquely Le Navet Bete style, blending realism with an exaggerated and flamboyant twist that continually surprises and mesmerises. I had heard many things about the costumes themselves and the lightning speed at which the changes between characters take place, but until you witness it for yourself, you cannot absorb just how impressive this is, for it has made what should be impossible, possible! I think there’s a little bit of real God style magic going on somewhere because, wow! And the inventiveness is limitless, creating so many different characters within a cast of three is something special for sure. Togas, tunics, dresses, hot pants, wigs, beards, baby bonnets, feather boas, leather waistcoats, swimming caps, swimming trunks, strappy Greek sandals, and that’s before you even get to the props and accessories! There is character, glamour, and a Greek flavour kept throughout.

The set is designed with equal ingenuity that allows the story to swiftly move between Mount Olympus, the mortal world and the underworld. Mount Olympus easily transforms into Greggs Hotel Krapios courtesy of a quick reveal, and a split level staging, which also includes stairs that later become a slide for maximum comedic effect. Combine this with those enticing exits to create an actors playground, demanding maximum fun, creativity, and opportunity for a company such as Le Navet Bete. Stuart Billinghurst’s lighting emphasises and compliments it all, conveying location, mood, and intention, subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) directing the audience as to where we are and what we are required to engage with. Hera’s own personalised spotlight that works on cue from the actor is a stroke of genius, adding another layer of humour to the show! It’s not often you see lighting used as part of the joke and the comedy, but this is achieved numerous times with little nuggets of magnificence! Equally, Zeus’ thunderbolts are impressively mastered, giving many characters their own lighting identifiers that the audience lapped up with glee.

It is beautifully apparent that Matt Freeman, Al Dunn, and Nick Bunt absolutely adore what they do. Their friendship, bond and trust shines through, allowing them to take brilliant physical risks that pay off time and time again. Their commitment to creating hilarious chaos and engaging theatrical storytelling through comedy is never in question and I applaud all that they are achieving within theatre. Creating a space where families of all ages can laugh together, radiate joy, and forget the real world for a while is truly magical. Their energy, joy, and lightness are infectious and the more the audience enjoy what they do, the more they give. Each play countless multiple roles with strong distinction and originality that you’d be forgiven for thinking there was a much larger cast. Al Dunn is our zazzy Zeus and plays up to his reputation with relish, making Zeus perhaps his own biggest fan! His physicality during the underworld trials is a driving force of the second act and he bounces off the other characters with glee. He encourages an audience member to get up and join in (go Alan!), and made him feel comfortable enough to really have fun on stage, before encouraging the entire front row to get up and do the conga!

Nick Bunt is our gracious Gregg who immediately wins the hearts of everyone in the theatre with his whimsical and innocent ways, making us wish that perhaps everyone could afford to be a little more Gregg! His desire to do the right thing often leads to the wrong thing, yet he still takes responsibility for the things he hasn’t done, allowing a vulnerability into the play that garnered many sympathetic “oohs” and “aww’s” from the audience. He made us care and invest in his plight, and therefore in the story. He mastered the farcical elements by running around his hotel whilst trying to fix the multiple problems that kept piling up too. Matt Freeman is our diva Hera, lovestruck Hebe, and overworked porter whose name changed as often as the costumes! The versatility between these three characters alone was incredible! From a sultry and dry Heda, to the girly and headstrong Hebe, and the entirely befuddled porter who jumped out of windows, hid in wardrobes, and ran around non-stop! His scene as Cerberus when trying to climb the stairs that had transformed into a slide was absolutely brilliant, and there were so many moments throughout that continued to catch you unawares and leave you ugly laughing! All three performers played multiple roles of course, with Al Dunn’s Poseidon giving a fabulous take on this God of the seas, and Nick Bunt’s Hades progressively losing his cool as Zeus completed his trials time and time again.

The cast often speak directly to the audience throughout, making us a part of the story and gently allowing us to feel involved. We become at one with events as Zeus encourages his centaur to throw his poop bag at us and Hades catapults ‘baby dolls’ directly into the audience, along with a whole host of stuffed animals which may or may not represent the hundreds of children Zeus has fathered! As well as the aforementioned conga line dance, there is also a moment for one lucky audience member to become a true part of the action and double as Zeus! This gentle interaction makes the show feel inclusive and encourages us to relax into that childlike sense of silly humour where we know we are being utterly daft but absolutely love it all the same! Le Navet Bete have the talent, the likeability and the inventiveness to make the ridiculous a breath of fresh air. And it leaves you with that rare feeling of being able to fully relax and remember that whilst, yes - life can be hard and full of difficulties, it can also be fun, silly, and ridiculous, and there’s a liberation in this which is so freeing!

Oh Zeus! mingles Greek mythology with the imagination of an Olivier nominated playwright and 3 fearless theatre makers and performers, resulting in a show that pushes boundaries, embraces a challenge and pays tribute to its source material with a cheeky wink and nod! Gods meet mortals in this fabulous, fierce and farcical theatrical show, that doesn’t pause for breath and isn’t afraid to mix myth with the entirely made up! So if you think you know your Greek Gods, think again because this lot might just catch you unawares! But one thing is clear, The Fates have spoken! It has been woven into your destiny that you should go and watch Oh Zeus whilst it is on at Lowry and as Zeus learns, you can’t argue with destiny. So don’t anger The Gods! Book your tickets now – but when you arrive at Hotel Krapios, don’t sign for any packages no matter what you do!

WE SCORE OH ZEUS!...