Mythos: Ragnarok @ Umbrella Revolution at The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, Adelaide 23/2/2024
Let’s get ready to rumbleeee!
In a genre-bending display of awesomeness, The Mythological Theatre (UK) suplex into the Adelaide Fringe for their Tarndanya/ Adelaide debut.
The Mythological Theatre is storytelling and theatre unlike anything else. They reimagine ancient Nordic myths and follow Norse Gods’ rise to power. In Mythos: Ragnarok, half-brothers Odin (Ed Gamester) and Loki (Michael Reece) seek to prevail over primeval giants, adversary Gods and Goddesses, and their own objectives in a pursuit to grasp power over the Nine Worlds.
The squared stage we are seated around, akin to a boxing match, is not your customary theatre stage. That is because this is not a commonplace theatre production.
Gamester, who wrote, produced, and directed Mythos: Ragnarok, opens the performance as Odin looking every bit the Nordic God. His introductory soliloquy introduces the ancient narrative popularised via the Marvel Universe. Immediately, there are whoops, cheers, and heckles of encouragement from the audience. These continue throughout. Gamester and later Reece capitalise on this by engaging directly. We sit one metre from the action, so breaking the fourth wall is appropriate. It also adds to the humour interweaved into an otherwise solemn but riveting narrative.
When Borr, the King of the Ice Giants (Sam Gardiner), enters, this play takes a 180-degree turn. The battle between Borr and Odin is conducted via wrestling. And it is spectacular!
For the next seventy-odd minutes, we are immersed in Odin’s story via sword fights, devastation, humour, and wrestling. While it sounds absurd, it works.
The flow of the performance is on point. It is perfectly choreographed not only from a stylistic perspective but safety also. If there were any errors, they were not noticeable. Combining actors and professional wrestlers creates a distinctive fusion of drama and physical theatre that is captivating.
From pile drivers, backbreakers, facebusters, clotheslines, kicks, forearms, and slaps so hard you could see the handprints imprinted on bodies, they did it all. Witnessing a six-foot-tall plus Surtur (Miles Ley) body slam people from above his head was astounding. However, watching Freyja (Maddison Miles), a five-foot-something-tall woman do a similar move with literal giant Fenrir (Sam Gardiner) was awe-inspiring.
On the flip side, the theatricality of the show was also noteworthy. The lights and score complement the storyline. Without a formal set design, it represents fire, ice, and hellish landscapes with plausibility.
Gamester and Reece are to be commended for their portrayals, Miles for her physicality. However, the stand out was Rhonda Pownall (Gullveig/ Hel). Her ability to traverse from badass brute to timid child and demonic zombie with believability demonstrates enormous talent.
Part play, part wrestling extravaganza, Mythos: Ragnarok is a unique form of storytelling. It is one of, if not THE BEST, physical theatre shows of the 2024 Adelaide Fringe.
Fringe Review By Anita Kertes
For tickets and show information head to FringeTix…