REVIEW – OH ZEUS AT THE LOWRY – GREEK GODS, COMEDY & A NIGHT OUT WITH MY BROTHER
Oh Zeus at The Lowry – A Night Out With My Brother
On Tuesday 28th July, I headed to The Lowry to review Oh Zeus!, the latest comedy from Le Navet Bete.
This theatre trip ended up starting much earlier than usual thanks to all the work currently taking place on the tram line. There were no trams running that day and the bus I would normally catch was missing out MediaCity, so getting to The Lowry wasn't quite as straightforward as it normally is.
Rather than risk being late, I decided I might as well set off early, get myself over to Salford Quays and have something to eat before the show.
My brother was meeting me there later, although as you'll discover, his journey didn't exactly go to plan either!
Getting To The Lowry Without The Tram 🚌
My slightly complicated journey involved first catching a bus to the Trafford Centre and then changing onto the number 30 bus.
I got off opposite the Imperial War Museum North at around 4:45pm and walked across the bridge towards The Lowry.
Considering the performance wasn't starting until 7pm, I had managed to arrive with more than two hours to spare!
I definitely didn't need to worry about being late.
Since I had so much time, my first stop wasn't actually the theatre. Instead, I headed into the Cadbury shop and treated myself to one of their Roses pick and mix boxes.
I am very predictable when it comes to Roses, so rather than having an actual mixture, I filled mine entirely with strawberry and orange creams!
With chocolate sorted, it was time to find some proper food.
Dinner At Nando's Before The Show 🍗
At around 5:05pm, I headed to Nando's, which is just across from The Lowry.
One of the advantages of arriving so early was that I could actually sit down and enjoy some food without constantly checking the time and worrying about whether I needed to rush off to the theatre.
I left Nando's at around 6:10pm and rang my brother to see how his journey was going.
He wasn't entirely sure when he would arrive but thought it would probably be somewhere around 6:30pm to 6:40pm, depending on the buses.
Since I didn't really have anywhere else I needed to be, I decided to head into The Lowry and wait for him there.
On the way in, I stopped at the box office to pick up my programme and was also given two drinks vouchers.
I then found one of the tables near the bar outside the Lyric Theatre and spent some time reading through the programme while I waited.
By 6:30pm there was still no sign of my brother.
I rang him again and discovered he was probably going to be another 15 minutes, so I decided to make my way upstairs towards the Quays Theatre, where Oh Zeus! was being performed.
Oh Zeus Programme & Merchandise 📖
There wasn't a merchandise stand for Oh Zeus! and the only souvenir available was the official programme.
The programme cost £4.50, which I thought was really good value.
It was a proper good-quality programme with plenty of information about the production inside, rather than just a small cast sheet, and at £4.50 it was considerably cheaper than a lot of theatre programmes I've bought recently.
I spent the next little while sitting in the Quays Bar reading it and waiting for my brother.
And waiting...
By 6:50pm, I decided I couldn't really wait any longer and headed into the auditorium to find my seat.
Thankfully, at around 6:55pm, with just five minutes to spare, my brother finally appeared!
Nothing like making a dramatic entrance.
Our Seats In The Quays Theatre 🎭
For this performance, we were seated in the Stalls, Row M, Seats 1 and 2.
Row M is the second row from the back of the stalls, but I was really pleased with the view.
We had a clear view of the whole stage and I never felt like we were too far away from the action. The Quays Theatre is a much smaller and more intimate space than the Lyric Theatre at The Lowry, so even towards the back of the stalls you still feel quite close to the stage.
I would happily choose Row M again.
The performance started at 7pm, almost immediately after my brother had sat down.
Act One lasted approximately 70 minutes, followed by a 20-minute interval.
After his slightly stressful journey over, the interval gave my brother and me a chance to properly catch up. We also used our drinks vouchers at the bar. I went for a lemonade while my brother chose a cider.
The second half began at around 8:30pm and lasted approximately an hour, with the performance finishing at around 9:30pm.
Greek Gods, Mortals & Complete Chaos ⚡
I had previously seen Le Navet Bete's King Arthur in 2024 and really enjoyed it, so I already had a good idea of the company's style of comedy before seeing Oh Zeus!.
This time, they've turned their attention to Greek mythology.
The story begins when Zeus discovers that his daughter Hebe plans to marry Gregg, a mortal who owns the brilliantly named Hotel Krapios.
Zeus isn't exactly thrilled about the idea of his daughter marrying a human and becomes determined to stop the wedding.
Naturally, things don't quite go according to plan.
What follows is a very silly journey involving gods, mortals, mythical creatures and eventually a trip to the Underworld.
You definitely don't need to know loads about Greek mythology beforehand to enjoy it. There are plenty of references for people who do know the stories, but at its heart this is simply a very funny piece of physical comedy.
One of the things I enjoy most about Le Navet Bete is just how much they manage to do with only three performers.
Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt constantly disappear from the stage before reappearing moments later as completely different characters. Sometimes the changes happen so quickly that I genuinely found myself wondering how they'd managed to get changed in time.
The physical comedy was probably my favourite part of the show.
The set is filled with doors, windows, different levels and places for characters to suddenly appear from, and the cast make full use of all of them. There's always something happening somewhere on stage and some of the biggest laughs came from the visual comedy rather than the dialogue.
I particularly enjoyed Matt Freeman's Hera, who was one of my favourite characters of the evening.
There is also quite a bit of audience interaction, but it felt fun rather than uncomfortable, and the cast were brilliant at reacting to whatever the audience gave them.
Set, Costumes & A Trip To The Underworld 🔥
Visually, Oh Zeus! is much more impressive than you might expect from a three-person comedy.
The Greek-inspired set transforms as the story moves between Mount Olympus, Hotel Krapios and eventually Hades, with the lighting changing dramatically once the characters reach the Underworld.
The costumes are also a huge part of the fun.
With the performers playing so many different gods, mortals and mythical creatures, there is a seemingly endless collection of costumes, wigs and ridiculous transformations.
The first half was my favourite of the two acts. It felt incredibly quick and there was barely time to recover from one joke before something else happened.
I did feel the pace slowed slightly once we reached Hades in the second half and there were one or two scenes I probably would have shortened. However, there were still plenty of laughs and I really enjoyed the show overall.
If you like physical comedy, farce and productions that don't take themselves remotely seriously, Oh Zeus! is definitely worth checking out.
The Journey Home 🚌
After the show finished at around 9:30pm, my brother and I headed back outside and walked across the bridge towards the Imperial War Museum North.
With the trams still out of action, we caught the bus back to the Trafford Centre together.
Once we arrived there, it was time to say goodbye as we were catching different buses for the final part of our journeys home.
It had taken considerably more buses than one of my usual trips to The Lowry, but thankfully everything had worked out in the end – even if my brother did arrive with only five minutes to spare!
Final Thoughts ⭐
Overall, I had a really enjoyable evening seeing Oh Zeus at The Lowry.
Having enjoyed King Arthur a couple of years ago, it was lovely to see Le Navet Bete again and discover another of their wonderfully silly adventures.
For me, the biggest strength of Oh Zeus! is the three performers. The speed at which they move between characters is incredibly impressive and their comic timing makes even some of the most ridiculous moments work.
I also loved the colourful set, costumes and the way the production uses the whole stage as part of the comedy.
The second half didn't quite have the same momentum as the first for me, but there was still plenty to enjoy and I left The Lowry having had a really fun evening.
It was also lovely having my brother there. Once he'd actually managed to make it to the theatre, anyway!
A wonderfully silly night of Greek gods, physical comedy and theatrical mayhem – and definitely worth all those buses.
More Information About Oh Zeus! 📍
Oh Zeus! is at The Lowry till 1st August, tickets are available on the Lowry wibesite.
Tickets for the Lowry performances ranged from £21.50 to £34.50.
For future performances and tour information, check the official Le Navet Bete website.
If you'd like to read my more theatre-focused 4-star review of the production, you can also head over to All About Theatre.
🎥 Watch My Theatre Trip In The Weekly Vlog
If you'd like to see what I got up to during my trip to see Oh Zeus!, you can watch the theatre trip in my weekly vlog. I'll add the vlog number and timestamp here once the video is live.
At a Glance
📍 Venue: The Lowry, Salford
📅 Lowry Run: Tuesday 28th July – Saturday 1st August 2026
⏱️ Runtime: Approx. 2 hours 30 minutes including interval
☕ Interval: Approx. 20 minutes
👤 Age Guidance: 12+
🎟️ Tickets: £21.50 – £34.50
🎭 Genre: Physical Comedy / Farce
⚡ What To Expect: Greek mythology, slapstick comedy, audience interaction, parody songs and rapid character changes
📖 Programme Available: Yes – £4.50
🛍️ Merchandise Available: No merchandise was available at our performance apart from the official programme
💺 Our Seats: Quays Theatre Stalls, Row M, Seats 1 & 2
👀 Seat View: Clear, unobstructed view of the whole stage despite being close to the back of the Stalls
🍽️ Food Nearby: There are several restaurants at Quayside opposite The Lowry, including Nando's
🚋 Getting There: The Lowry is located at Salford Quays and can usually be reached by tram, bus and car. Imperial War Museum North is also served by buses, followed by a short walk across the bridge to The Lowry
♿ Accessibility: The Lowry offers accessible seating and facilities. Check the venue's website for accessibility information and any accessible performances available for individual productions
🌍 Further Tour Dates: Visit the official Le Navet Bete website for future Oh Zeus! tour dates and show information
Comments