Theatre Review: Oh Zeus @ The New Vic

On many occasions I have been persuaded to watch a new production that purports to be an offshoot of the classic comedies. So it was with a little apprehension that I made my way to the New Vic. Could the claims that Oh Zeus has a rightful claim to be compared to the likes of Fawlty Towers, Bottom and the Carry On franchise be true?

Pleasing to say that any worries had disappeared within minutes of the start of this parody of Greek mythology as the riot of comedy was unrolled before the audience’s eyes and the very large attendance was drawn into the utter daftness of what was going on.

The plot revolved around the family life of the Lord of the Gods Zeus. Hebe – daughter of the God Almighty and his wife Hera – has announced her intention to marry. This should have been a great time for the Olympian household but unfortunately her betrothed Greg – often called Greggs for comic effect – is a mere mortal. How on earth can the Lord of all Gods sanction a marriage between his godly daughter and a hotel owner – particularly a hotel known as Krapios that would be far from a five-star establishment.

Zeus has other plans for his daughter’s future but Hebe’s mother is supportive of the nuptials and other Gods are already arriving for the ceremony so   Zeus has to take drastic action and attempts to fake his own death in order to derail the upcoming ceremony.

A helter-skelter run of events sees the title character visit the Underworld and face some extreme challenges. But will the marriage be cancelled or will Hebe get her Mr Right? It is so much fun to find out.

With a cast of just three cast members – Al Dunn, Nick Bunt and Matt Freeman who is excellent in his female characters whether it be the haughty Hera, the besotted Hebe or the totally disinterested receptionist Maria – it means that there have to be some quick changes of costume. There are a multitude of roles to be acted out – male, female and even the three-headed dog Cerberus and a centaur – and the cast have a very slick organisation that sees them change gender and species within seconds.

As well as the three main characters we meet other characters from mythology with Poseidon – Lord of the Seas (but do not mention the horses) who is portrayed as an incredibly butch Bondi Beach bum complete with budgie smugglers and the aforementioned Maria who plays a couldn’t care less hotel worker.

Charon (or is that Sharon?) allows his character to dream of becoming a strategy manager and leave his life of ferrying the souls of the dead across the River Styx although I am sure that no anthology of mythology described his boat as a swan-shaped pedalo??

And that is typical of the humour. Gags flow aplenty and there is a huge amount of physical comedy. Highlights are the disastrous attempts to pronounce the name Papadopoulos and Zeus’ futile attempt to turn back time and ban the delivery of a rocket launcher!!

Designer Fi Russell has also created a wonderful set that allows the cast to make quick exits and entrances in true farcical style. With some highly effective lighting designed by Stuart Billinghurst and some short snatches of song, this production is a feast for all of the senses.

The cast members are clearly enjoying themselves and they ensure that the audience has plenty of opportunity to join in the fun. Beware of flying centaur poo and babies and you may just be asked to join in a conga or be a body double for Zeus. And you may be the butt of the many asides from the stage.

Is it a panto? A farce? A chaotic comedy? Or just downright daft? The answer is that it is all of them and combines to create a five-star evening of entertainment.

The somewhat pretentious name of the company – Le Navet Bete -can be translated as a “silly flop at the box office”. Just another piece of self-deprecating humour really. This is a show that you must truly make the effort to see. The company made a great impression on their first appearance at the New Vic. They will surely be welcomed back with open arms.

Oh Zeus has a running time of approximately 2 hours 20 minutes and continues until Saturday 17^th October. For tickets contact tickets@newvictheatre.org.uk