by Patrick White
There were many loud laughs for me at The Norwegians by C. Denny Swanson and its broad swipes at the single women and the Minnesota nice men they hire to kill their exes presented at Shakespeare & Company through 10/4.
Two women meet in a cozy bar in the midst of a frozen tundra represented onstage by a frozen, snow covered light pole and telephone lines dripping with icicles. Set design by Arthur Wilson and Lighting Design by Luke Willson. They are Betty (Elizabeth Aspenlieder) and Olive (Peggy Pharr Wilson) and they have both suffered bad breakups and are mightily motivated to kill their exes to the point of hiring hit men who are far more prevalent in fiction than they are in real life.
Betty takes on the noirration from under a street lamp and cracks wise with such gems as “Here in Minnesota, you gotta find a lover before the first freeze or else it’s just too late, you’re iced in for a very long time.” Aspenleider is expert at the cool calculations.
Peggy Pharr Wilson as Olive is pushed over the edge by her circumstances and has a “woman on the verge” monologue where she sums up her plight as the cheerleader’s mom or “Dallas” or like that astronaut who drove across the country to kill her lover’s girlfriend wearing adult diapers so that she wouldn’t have to pee. “I’m finally a real Texan.”
Our hit men are played by the estimable clown Michael F. Toomey in a Nordic sweater, ski hat and shorts (great costuming by Arthur Wilson) as Tor and Mark Zeisler working a Luca Brasi vein, there’s even a snippet of “The Godfather” theme, witty music by Vincent Pruchnick.
There are many Norwegian jokes (gravlaks, lutefisk, babies in kayaks), murdering as a profession (business cards, Groupon) and astrology (Why weren’t you warned?!?) and the play works hard to keep your interest, even inserting a dance scene. Director James Warwick keeps things moving but there must have been an alternative to the changing tablecloths. Kudos to Pruchnick for beefing up the change.
There simply isn’t enough story to hang all these jokes on. We don’t care about the characters nor what happens to them. I’m not even sure I’m clear on the final outcome. I did laugh though, your mileage may vary depending on your taste in cultural and gender stereotypes.
Shakespeare & Company presents The Norwegians by C. Denny Swanson, directed by James Warwick, from September 4-October 4, 2026, in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre. CAST: Elizabeth Aspenlieder as Betty, Peggy Pharr Wilson as Olive, Michael F. Toomey as Tor, Mark Zeisler as Gus. CREATIVE TEAM: Stage Manager Hope Rose Kelly, Assistant Stage Manager Kulia McLaughlin, Choreographer Kirsten Peacock, Assistant Choreographer Nick Nudler, Sound Designer Vinny Pruchnick, Scenic & Costume Designer Arthur Wilson, Lighting Designer Luke Willson
Tickets are available now at shakespeare.org or by calling the Box Office at 413.637.3353; prices range from $27–$77 including fees. Tickets for ConnectorCare, EBT, and WIC families are available for $5.