These days, when everything feels recycled, all the films coming out are sequels or remakes of ones you’ve seen before, and few things can genuinely surprise. A Viking turned spiritualist with daddy issues who finds a copy of ‘Eat Pray Love’ and realises his dream of becoming a yoga instructor? For me at least, that’s a new one.
The premise of the show is the exploration and challenging of patriarchal masculinity, all very serious and proper but for the fact that the gender role Sigmund fights against is rape and pillage. It is an excellent premise, the exaggerated guise of middle-aged cultural norms contrasting with the spiritualist wellness culture socially relevant today. It provides such a funny contrast that Sigmund himself does not need to do much to shake laughs out of the audience.
Our comedian himself plays his part well, choosing to begin working the audience on the other side of the tiny room’s door. He employs a venue worker to communicate for him, despite his high-pitched Scandinavian warble being quite clearly heard. He has a clear grasp on the character and pushes its innate contrast with ease.
His journey is fraught with looming overhead interludes from Odin (who sounds suspiciously like Sigmund himself), who challenges his softness and non-traditional lifestyle. After struggling with the weight of Odin’s expectations, he eventually finds peace and resolution by becoming a mother to his own inner child, which he births after a perilous battle with a ‘dragon’. It’s a strong finishing act and quite a radical solution to the crisis of masculinity that drives the performance.
All in all, it’s a fun watch and will please those who like to get involved in their Fringe shows, as it is rooted in audience participation. This does mean that the experience of the show is dependent on the others who come in with you, as well as your preferences.
However, this element was a weak point for me. The moments of physical comedy (that Sigmund evidently enjoys) lasted a touch too long, and overall, the set wasn’t as joke-heavy as others. Furthermore, in quite a long and messy section where the comic leads us physically through a series of actions, the connection between him and the audience wasn’t strong enough to sustain it perfectly.
Given the subject of masculinity seems a constant hot topic these days, such a relevant topic full of potential could be explored a bit more fully. The modern ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ side of the performance might have been widened for even greater pertinence in the discussion of contemporary masculinity. I think this could’ve been done without losing the whimsy and absurdity that stopped the issue from becoming stodgy and lecturing. It’s all there, but at points just got a bit muddled for me.
If you’re not looking for a show to pour over and take seriously, I’d suggest you pay Sigmund the Viking a visit. It would be a Fringe highlight for a mythology lover and someone who enjoys getting involved with an act. You might not enter Valhalla yourself, but answer the call and you may well be entertained.
Sigmund the Viking: Valhalla Calling plays at Underbelly in Bristo Square at 20:45 until 28 Aug. Tickets are available here.
Image issued to The Student for press material