Mythos: Ragnarök

If you are missing the footy and yearning for a good heartfelt chant and being caught up in the emotional ups and downs of a close game, this is for you. As a bonus, this group of professional wrestlers take Norse myths and bring the gods, or at least people who want to be gods, to life and show how their ambitions, loves, strengths and weaknesses drive them to their various downfalls.

In a stroke of genius, the cast are all professional wrestlers who can pick each other up and fling each other around, crash into each other, leap and stomp and make an awful lot of noise on the percussive stage. The story of the pursuit of power, family tensions, tricks and betrayals is thrown to the audience with aplomb. There is cheekiness, humour and a very sure hand inviting and creating audience involvement. The audience rose to the occasion and made a fair bit of noise themselves.

The light, sound effects and music integrated well into the action. A standout was the makeup and costumes (Melanie Watson) which cleverly created different characters and were just enough to suggest the ancient Norse setting.

If you are going to evoke gods, you want to make sure you can back yourself and this group shows just how to do it with meaning and joyous physicality.

Ruth Richter

Photography: (top) Mary George and (lower) Strangehouse.