Thor and Loki

By Ron Bingham 

Something a bit different at Fringe, a new musical comedy based loosely on Norse mythology. Thor and Loki  tells the tale of the clashing Gods in a joyful, silly and pacifist-friendly kind of way.

Asgard is being attacked by giants but Thor (played by Harry Blake one of the show’s creators) isn’t really into all that fighting, being a tortured teenage soul. Meanwhile Thiassi (Laurie Jamieson) the leader of the giants, has a terrible secret about young Loki (played by Alice Keedwell the other co-creator of the show). There are battles and romance and treachery and tap dancing trolls. After a number of battles, where heaps of those unimportant humans are killed, the giants hit on a plan to wall off Asgard (queue satirical song about building a wall) and trap the gods until they agree to surrender the golden apple tree which is the source of their power and immortality. The only person who can break the deadlock is Loki, but will she agree after both sides previously spurned her help and accused her of treachery?

Not unlike the hit musical Once, all of the cast members of this show are multi-talented instrumentalists, who play the backing music for their fellow performer’s songs. There are even a couple of ‘cor anglais’ jokes (a small, wooden oboe-like horn, played by Thor), which I especially loved. This gave the show a brilliant atmosphere and it was the performers who really made this show zing. The acting, singing and playing are all excellent and the show is cleverly written, with lots of laughs and a surprise ending.

The full house were loud, boisterous and enthusiastic in their appreciation of the razzle dazzling, toe tapping musical.

Just a warning that the entrance to the Assembly Roxy is up three flights of stairs (the exit is only one flight down), so people with mobility issues may want to check with staff before booking.

Thor and Loki is on at Assembly Roxy Upstairs until August 26

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/thor-and-loki