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Club 2B review – get down with Zeus and Lady Godiva

The setting is a cabaret-style jazz club with saxophonist, drummer, blackjack table and finger food. Our host is Z, a 1920s incarnation of the Greek god Zeus, who is performing a rap in a natty suit. “Before the Trumps and the Johnsons there was Zeus,” he says, and the reference feels apt for election night.

The rap, performed by Corey Campbell, is an intriguing start to a Christmas show, co-produced by Strictly Arts theatre company, that promises “an exhilarating trip through time”, with mythic characters making appearances. What follows is original but incoherent, with the drama performed around the room and woven together with song and dance. The central story revolves around Zeus and ancient goddess Hera (Iona Coburn). He is yearning for her (“I keep hearing her voice”) but she spurns him, with accusations of infidelity.

Characters such as Lady Godiva (Charis McRoberts) and The Great Gatsby’s Daisy Buchanan (Aimee Powell) speak snippets of their own stories but channel Hera’s rage as well. The female characters seem to converge towards the end as they round on Zeus and accuse him of “erasing” them and “rewriting” their histories. Even if it is a strong feminist message, it is slightly bewildering in this context.

The spoken scenes are too short and tenuously linked to build a satisfying enough narrative, while the singing and dancing are not always strong, though Powell and Campbell give good performances. There are glimmers in which the cast gathers into a physical formation to appear like a rowing boat or a cantering horse that are expressive, but these are the few, fleeting highlights.

• At the Belgrade theatre, Coventry, until 31 December.