The lives of the Gods are just as messy as ours, or possibly even more. Bristol Spotlights brings God Complex, written and directed by Felix Glanville and Leah Pollard, to Edinburgh Fringe. This sitcom style show follows the turmoil of the Greek Gods as they become less worshiped in the modern world. As we get a glimpse into the family dynamic, things get a little raunchy – Aphrodite (Beth Griffiths) causes conflict, trying to sleep with anyone she’s not supposed to. The show asks us to consider the ridiculousness of the relations between the Greek Gods.
The cast portrayed the iconic gods as a traditional modern family. Zeus (James Davies) is a self-obsessed sleazy father, while his wife Hera (Kathleen Keaney), is devoted and loving as she tries to keep the household together. Artemis (Hattie Parkinson) and Apollo (Ezra Sandiford) are the rowdy teenager twins that argue, cause a little havoc, and try to shift the rest of the family into more modern ideologies.
The cast were very good at portraying each of their characters: they all felt like a real family who had lived together for a very long time. While most of the performances were consistent throughout the performance, they stuck to the classic archetypal roles that we see in so many soap operas. This really made for an experience reminiscent of living rooms around the world. Unfortunately, some of the characters were less exciting for me due to their lack of variety in character throughout.
The script was fast-paced and layered — giving a very naturalistic feel to the show. As everyone spoke over one another, I felt invited to a real family gathering. The jokes were pretty good throughout, mostly referring to the absurdness of many Greek myths. If you are a fan of Greek mythology then you will definitely get a good laugh during the show.
Overall, I really enjoyed watching God Complex. It is a perfect capsule of tales known and loved transformed into an hour of jovial entertainment. Expect wine, dancing, some drama, and an unfortunate amount of bestiality from this apocryphal family.
God Complex is running until 29 August at Annexe at theSpace @ Symposium Hall. Buy tickets here.
Image by Mollie Furey, provided for press use.
