Mythos: Ragnarok – Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022
Billed as the only theatre show in the world to use professional wrestlers, Mythos: Ragnarok is a raucous, riotous mixture of action, comedy and Norse mythology – and you won’t find anything else like it at this year’s Fringe.
The cast in this production have the unenviable task of fulfilling triple threat roles – to look the part, to be great wrestlers and to be able to act. It’s no mean feat and they carry it off admirably well. Particular standouts for me were the half-brothers Odin and Loki at the centre of the story, acting as the narrative and comedic lynchpins of the piece.
The direction is tight, with almost every moment forming a classical tableaux, and along with effective costumes and lighting there is the feeling of something of a far higher budget than it presumably is.
Whilst the insanity of the high-energy wrestling up close (unnervingly so at times) is undoubtably the main draw, the presentation of it as a theatrical production is what makes it stand out. The show perfectly balances the plot and the poundings so that neither aspect drags, and the script combines a clear love of the traditional tales with enough Marvel-informed humour to keep even the most accidental audience member engaged.
In fact it’s been a long time since I was in a theatrical audience quite this engaged – whooping, cheering, yelling – the atmosphere was, deservedly, rabid. At one point, just as everyone’s favourite God of Mischief was about to do something suitably mischievous, someone behind me let out a ‘Yassss, Lokkiiii’ under their breath in anticipation.
If you get a chance to catch this one please do, but be quick because I would put money on it becoming the word-of-mouth hot ticket of the Festival.
★★★★★
Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose – Other Yin
22:15, Aug 15-28
1 hour 10 minutes
All words by Susan Sloan.