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Review: Mythos: Ragnarök, Alexandra Palace ****

Ed Gamester and Heidi Katrinapng
Photo credit: David Wilson

Review: Mythos: Ragnarök, NORSE GODS MEET Pro-WrESTLING

There is a particular kind of magic in seeing a show find its spiritual home. The glorious Alexandra Palace, the “People’s Palace” perched high above London, felt like the perfect Valhalla for Mythos: Ragnarök. This is not your typical night at the theatre. It is a thumping, sweating, world-first production performed entirely by professional wrestlers. In its fifth year, it is a bold response to a world that refuses to value these performers: not seen as actors enough by the theatre; or athletes enough by the world of sport.

The production is an energetic reimagining of the Norse sagas, written by and starring Ed Gamester. From the moment the first flute note pierced the air, the audience was spellbound. The original score is phenomenally evocative, using a range of traditional instruments including drums to create a sound that feels ancient and heavy in parts and pure excitement in others. This is “tub-thumping” theatre in its purest form. The crowd was not just watching; they were part of a ritual, a vocal and involved congregation cheering on Odin and his kin as they slammed into the canvas with bone-shaking force.

As someone coming from a more traditional theatre background rather than the “squared circle” of the ring, I will admit to feeling a little like an invited outsider. There is a physical language and way to respond here that the initiated understand instinctively. For a non-wrestling fan, the middle section can feel a touch repetitive. The thread of the story occasionally gets lost in the exhilarating but relentless cycle of punches, kicks and throw downs.

Credit: Michael Aiden Photography

Rating a show like this is a challenge when you are not the intended audience. For my own viewing, grounded in more traditional drama, the repetitive nature of the combat made it a three-star experience. However, I could see that for the vast majority of the audience, this was absolutely a five-star triumph. They were not just watching a play; they were a part of it. All the way down the evening walk to Alexandra Palace station, as London’s lights shone in the distance, I could hear delight in the air from pro-wrestling fans.

Any minor gripes about pacing were obliterated by the show’s emotional finale. Ed Gamester, who not only wrote and funded the show but gave a powerhouse performance as the trickster god Loki, stood before us as the final bell rang. As the adrenaline faded, he shared the sobering reality of his journey. He told us how he had sold his house and lived in a van just to make this show work. How they began in the tiny Cockpit theatre in Marylebone and in small fringe venues, only to see their success culminate in the performance we had all just shared.

Seeing a man, who had spent the last hour portraying a god, standing there, overcome with the weight of his own sacrifice, was deeply moving. When a member of the crowd had to reach out and offer him tissues, the barrier between performer and public vanished entirely. In that moment, Mythos became more than a play about ancient gods. It became a story about modern resilience and the beautiful price of a dream.

Pro-wrestling fans should grab their chance to witness this blood-and-guts triumph in London or on its tour. This high-octane fusion of mythology and wrestling will tour UK through April and May 2026, hitting stages in the Wirral, Leicester, St Albans, Northampton, Darlington, Bradford, Skegness, Preston, Harrogate, and Bath.

[Thank you to Chloe Nelkin Consulting who provided gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review.]

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