Norse myths, legends and... wrestling? You may think that the combination of these contradicting styles of storytelling and sport would not work in this context, but Mythological Theatre proves us wrong by bringing stories that these days, unless you deliberately seek them out for a more spiritual discovery, are not often told.. until now! After watching this show, we discover something that both Norse enthusiasts such as myself and absolute newbies to this genre will adore.
There are no weak performances here.
Ed Gamester created Mythos: Ragnarok after twenty years of being a professional wrestler, stuntman and more. He not only wrote, produced and directed it, but also starred as Odin himself. The clear passion and work that has gone into this spectacular production not only shows the amount of research done to enable the show to happen, but by using his professional skills and calling upon other professional wrestlers to make up this exciting cast, taps into the brutal, harsh reality of violence and war of days gone by. His Odin is shown as someone who, despite knowing his fate, is reckless and will do anything to maintain his own power. Gamester's powerful performance, writing, direction and wrestling skills combine to set the bar high for theatre as we know it going forward in an extremely fun, dynamic and exciting way that is accessible for everyone watching. One cannot credit that this is his first ever theatre show. It comes across as something that has been on the go for twenty years or more.
But Mythos: Ragnarok would not be possible for the equally amazing team that makes up all the Gods and Goddesses involved. They include Sam Gardiner (Borr/Fenrir), Michael Reece (the amazing trickster Loki), Rachel Seagroatt (Gullveg), Beau Charles (Baldr), Maddison Myles (the fiery Goddess of War Freyja) and many more that change every night, so you never get the same experience of the wrestler performers each time.
There are no weak performances here, but strong ones and extremely well choreographed fights that are likewise engaging, yet shocking to watch. The difference between normal stage combat and wrestling is that all the contact made is real. No staged contact... real! All this adds to the horror of what could have evolved in Norse Tales with no edited bits. Special mentions have to go to Reece and Myles for their intense portrayals of Loki and Freyja at this point, as they did not hold back in anything they did. Reece gave us one of the best Loki's I've seen in a long time as he played every trick in the book to get his own way, whilst Myles had exactly the right amount of scaremongering and brutal honesty as she paved the way for Freyja's victory.
Mythological Theatre are the only theatre company in the UK that hires professional wrestlers for their shows and are the ones to watch for more exciting things to come.
