Ragnarok Review: Exeunt Magazine

Ragnarok is a tale full of Norse Gods, Giants, war, spirits, love, friendship, and betrayal. The family of Aesir, led by Odin with his wife Frigga and their sons Thor, Baldr and Loki celebrate victory in the first war of the world. Freya, Goddess of Fertility, joins them, becoming their adopted daughter. When the Mason arrives to repair their kingdom, he sets as his price the hand of Freya together with the Moon and the Sun for good measure. When the dreams of Odin's son, Baldr, foretell disaster, he sets off in search of wisdom, seeking the services of the Seeress.

It's a rich mix, Ragnarok. There is an apple orchard of eternal youth, there are shape-shifting demi-gods, spirit guardians, a fair bit of gore, beheadings, volcanoes, and a good dash of humour and irony.
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Performed by Eastern Angles at RAF Bentwaters, a former jet engine test hanger, this is an epic experience which makes full use of its small cast and atmospheric setting. The Hush House is a truly unique and exciting performance space with the exhaust tunnel sparingly used to great effect. The stage is set in the traverse with the moveable elements handled by the cast themselves; it's a very physical production, a rich mythic world evoked through puppetry (though some of the puppets lack the same degree of impact as others) and a soundscape which also captures something of the building's history.

They pack a lot in to this production, but the skilled young director - Hal Chambers - and the cast handle the complexity of it all with aplomb.

All the performances are strong but it's Oliver Hoare's Loki who really stands out; he fully inhabits the part of the shape shifting stepson of Odin, his slight frame belying a formidable range which is highlighted wonderfully when he confronts his family in anger. He's definitely one to watch. Antony Gabriel is also commanding as the autocratic Odin, desperate to preserve his family and kingdom, but in terms of pure physicality, it's Theo Ogundipe's Thor who dominates with his massive frame and when in full explosive flow he flings around his fellow cast members with apparent abandon.

Gracy Goldman's Freya is at her most seductive when in league with Loki and Josh Ewell displays considerable variety, playing a range of characters. As the Mason he is self assured, devious and full of lasciviousness when contemplating Freya, in the role of Thjazi, the Giant, he showed himself to be a capable puppeteer, whilst as the blind Hod he delivers a devastating shot. Sarah Thom is suitably anguished as the Seeress, giving Odin the wisdom he craves but at a gory cost; she also makes an ethereal Idun, a much more delicate presence alongside the conniving Loki, Tom McCall's Baldr combines calmness with strength as the conscience of the family while Fiona Putnam's Frigga knits things together in the role of wife and mother and messenger of Odin.

Jack Ford