Review: THE NORWEGIANS at Shakespeare & Company

Set in a Minnesota bar where heartbreak is served alongside beer, THE NORWEGIANS by C. Denby Swanson, is a sharp, surprising dark comedy about love gone wrong—and the lengths we go to set things right. Betty and Olive, two women reeling from romantic betrayal, hatch an unlikely plan: hiring a pair of Norwegian hitmen to deal with the men who wronged them.

Enter Tor and Gus, professional killers who turn out to be unfailingly polite, disarmingly gentle, and almost aggressively nice. As the women’s simmering rage collides with the hitmen’s courteous manners, the play finds humor in the contrast between Midwestern civility and the brutal business at hand.

With witty dialogue and a clever premise, THE NORWEGIANS explores the culture of America’s “flyover country,” where kindness runs deep—even in the most unexpected professions. At once dark, funny, and oddly tender, the play examines love, revenge, and cultural identity, reminding us that people are rarely what we expect and that even the politest among us may be capable of surprising extremes.

S&C Artistic Director, Allyn Burrows said of THE NORWEGIANS Director, James Warwick "James was a natural fit because of his keen eye for timing and satire."

Warwick explained that Swanson “has created a multi layered puzzle of high comedy and serious comment about betrayal and revenge. Going on to say they “have had a wonderful whacky time in rehearsals, dissecting and exploring each twist and turn in this rather unusual piece”.  Adding “we have been fortunate to have had the benefit of Colin’s (Swanson’s) revisions after a couple of earlier productions resulting in a tight and fast paced script with terrific opportunities for our actors and design team.  I have no reason to disagree and verify it was a delightful, well-paced production that I found both enjoyable and entertaining.

The cast of four are well known to Berkshire theatre goers as consummate character actors.  They are Elizabeth Aspenlieder as Betty, Michael F. Toomey as Tor, Peggy Pharr Wilson as Olive, and Mark Zeisler as Gus.  Each works particularly well in their individual character and also together as a strong ensemble.  Elizabeth Aspenlieder said, "think of this play as a romantic comedy with murder".

The creative and management teams include Set Designer Arthur Wilson, Lighting Designer Luke Willson, Costume Designer Arthur Wilson, Sound Designer Vincent Pruchnick, Choreographer Kristen Peacock, Assistant Choreographer Nick Nudler, Stage Manager Hope Rose Kelly, and Assistant Stage Manager Kulia McLaughlin.

THE NORWEGIANS will feel to some to be a bit like FARGO, the accents certainly sound similar.  Within the 90-minute production (presented without intermission) however, there are a great many opportunities for laughter.  You may learn something about Vikings, and Scandinavian-Americans, including proper uses of the term “offda”.  On its face, the subject of murder-for-hire seems dark, and yes, some of the language can be a bit colorful (a few F-bombs are dropped), but really, this is a delightful little production with the emphasis on comedy that one might almost label as cute, possibly endearing. 

Reader Reviews

To post a comment, you must register and login.

Don't Miss a Boston News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...

Get Boston Emails & Offers

Get the latest news, discounts & more