Interview: 'It's The Dream of Being in The Bright Lights': Head First Acrobats' Thomas Gorham On The London Premiere Of GODZ

Down from Mount Olympus, these Greek Gods - sorry GODZ - come to London this week in the  earthly form of Head First Acrobats (or is Acrobatz?).

With a heavenly blend of adult comedy,  scintillating circus and enough raw sex appeal to send Magic Mike back to Hogwarts, the Australian company scored top marks when they came to Brighton in 2023. An updated version of their hit show descends upon Peacock Theatre from 11-14 June. 

We spoke to co-founder Thomas Gorham about what audiences could expect this time around. 

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I absolutely adored GODZ when I saw it at the Brighton Fringe a couple of years back. Have there been any significant changes to the show since then?

We are always making edits to the show. Being comedy performers as well as circus artists, we are always trying to find the balance between trying new skits and material, and doing a perfect show of material that we already have. We have also upgraded the set and lighting design significantly since you last saw the show.

There is a constant level of playfulness that is maintained as we search for new comedic material to add. 

GODZ opens at Peacock Theatre on 11 June. Have there been any challenges adapting the show from the "in the round" Spiegeltent setup in Brighton to the Peacock's black box theatre setting?

We are lucky in that we had some practice in a venue that was a black box in Melbourne in 2024. So we got a taste for how it would feel to play front on. Certain parts that had a kind of unscripted playfulness must now adhere to an ordered structure, with one joke finishing before the next starts, otherwise things can get missed and disrupt the rhythm of the show.

We absolutely loved the challenge though, and we cannot wait to do it in front of a thousand people every night!

And how has that affected audience interaction?

We are so used to playing in the round, which gives you the opportunity to do little jokes to just your section of the crowd at any time, it really enhances the playful feel of our shows. When we do a black box theatre, timing of jokes becomes so much more important, and control of the focus of the audience.

London is currently seeing plenty of Australian cabaret/circus like yourselves, Strut & Fret, Briefs and Circa. Australian Cabaret MCs (especially Reuben Kaye and Dusty Limits) have been huge successes in the capital. Apart from the food and the weather, what is the attraction of dear old London town?

I think it is the prestige. London has a certain level of prestige like New York, or Vegas. Playing in a west end theatre feels like a massive achievement for shows written and produced in Australia.

It's the dream of being in the bright lights.

Personality is a rare thing to see from acrobats where (understandably) the focus is on physical skills and less on audience interaction. How important to you are each aspect? 

Writing comedy is actually our speciality. We have got 15+ years of experience in writing and performing comedic shows. I think the reason the comedic skills in GODZ are so well received is that we spent a long time in the rehearsal space writing skits, we actually made enough content for two whole shows, then trimmed it down to our favourite pieces.

How much do you think circus in general and more audience-friendly shows like GODZ have been helped or hindered by contests like the "Got Talent" franchise?

We have been approached by every single "Got Talent" to perform. The reason we have never done it is we are yet to see the benefit of performing on the show. So I guess you could say that I haven't found them to have any effect on the market as we know it, but I must say that these Got Talent TV shows are older than our own performing career, so we might not be the best people to ask about their impact.

GODZ has been around for a while. Is there a GODZ 2.0 in the works? Or are there any plans to bring your older show Railed to the UK now that cowboys are all the rage? 

GODZ has only done Brighton so far in the UK, so we think there is plenty more action here in the UK for that show. Once we blow people away in London, I'm sure you will here more about it around the country.

There is always a chance to bring raging cowbacks back. If people want to see RAILED, then maybe you will see RAILED on the West End soon enough! 

GODZ will be at Peacock Theatre from 11-14 June.

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