Thor and Loki at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Thor and Loki
Thor and Loki

Thor and Loki is a new musical which tells of the battle between the God and The Giants and the steps they must take to save the humans and the world at large. The fate of the gods rests with Thor, a god who is more interested in poetry than hammer slinging and out for revenge is Loki, a half-giant just wanting to fit in.

Thor and Loki

Marvel it is not and Thor and Loki makes no pretence at taking itself seriously. In fact it is a show that revels in it’s silliness. However amongst the silliness there was very little that got me laughing and I struggled to follow parts of the show initially. For example it wasn’t clear to me that Loki was different to the other giants until she spelt it out and even when she did it was unclear to me how she was different. Some of the double casting also became confusing with very little in characterisation to distinguish between the roles that they were playing.

For a show that is based in silliness the plot was also long and rather complex. However some of the references throughout the show were relevant and consequently enjoyable. I particularly liked the reference to building of the wall to keep the giants out. Despite the odd glimpse of relevance the message of  ’embrace who you are’ never quite takes to the forefront of the show.  Thor and Loki

The cast all play instruments as well as playing at least one role in the show and it is no doubt that they are all multi- talented. I particularly enjoyed Alice Keedwell as Loki who had a strong voice and commanding presence on stage. I also must mention Bob Harm as Odin, King of the Gods who had a rock god vibe to him as well as a lovely quality to his voice. Whilst Thor, played by Harry Blake was supposed to be drippy I would have liked him to be even more so, really enhancing this rather than occasionally coming across as disinterested.

The costumes also need addressing, for example Loki’s mother was dressed in a simple tie-dye dress, making it look like she had simply wondered up from the audience. For a show that is based in fantasy there could have been a lot more imagination and attention to the costumes, even with budget constraints.

Thor and Loki is a show with promise and one that needs development. With some trimming, enhancement of production values including costumes and some more relatable clever references incorporated it could be one to see but in the meantime it doesn’t quite hit home.

Thor and Loki is playing at the Assembly Roxy- Upstairs until the 26th August at 19:15 – 20:30. To find out more about the show visit their website.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Bark! The Musical, Tenacious D: The Musical of Destiny and Showstopper! The Improvised Musical.

 

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