Epic Norse Mythology Rocks Out at Lifeline

Loki-the End of the World Tour now on at Lifeline is an enormous musical, kind of a two ton truck tucked into a subcompact mini since the jewel box space puts you right in the middle of the ultimate battle between  good and evil which signals the twilight of the Gods of Norse mythology.  Throw out most of what Marvel has taught you–the libretto by Christina Calvit goes back to the classic plot where Odin (played with aging rocker gravitas by Scott Danielson)  is the big cheese in Asgard, home of the Gods, with obsessive visions of the end of it all war known as Ragnarok.  Jack Chylinski’s Loki is the perfect shape shifter, androgynous, petulant and passionate, and harbinger of the end of worlds. Backed up by the fantastically talented Norns (Kelan Smith,Kara Olander, Alek Boggio) who also narrate, this 2.5 hour thematic rock concert is an adrenaline jolt, and one heck of a night of entertainment.

Those Asgard gods are one dysfunctional family.  The beautiful Freya (badass Janelle Sanabria) who in this telling is conflated with the myth of Gullveig, the thrice murdered Vanir Goddess, fights for her place in this heavily male pantheon. The very good son Baldur (a sunny Peter Gertas) has to die.  Of course, by the end of the play and the world created by George Howe’s lyrics and tunes, pretty much everyone is dead. 

There is a catharsis in a rock and roll  apocalypse, especially one so stylish as this.  Saskia Bakker’s delightful puppets representing Loki’s kids bring a bit of whimsy and horror to the stage.  This is a dark show full of sex and rock and roll and gods behaving badly, just like us. 

As the Gods speak of honor and truth, but lie and are cruel to one another, which causes the end of their existence, one has to see the parallel with this moment in history as our “gods” in the form of our sacred institutions fail. Norse myths, like democratic notions, were created by humans as a reflection of values and as lessons to a future. I did not know when I headed to the small theatre on Glenwood for a rock musical about ancient gods that I would see such a prescient warning for our times.

Loki-the End of the World Tour is playing Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through June 14, 2026 at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N Glenwood in Chicago.  For tickets and information go to https://lifelinetheatre.com/performances/2025-2026/loki-the-end-of-the-world-tour/

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