Playing September 4–October 4 at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre in the Berkshires
Shakespeare & Company has announced the cast of The Norwegians by C. Denby Swanson, directed by James Warwick and playing September 4–October 4 at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre.
The cast includes Elizabeth Aspenlieder, Michael F. Toomey, Peggy Pharr Wilson, and Mark Zeisler, with Stage Manager Hope Rose Kelly and Assistant Stage Manager Kulia McLaughlin; sound design by Vinny Pruchnick, scenic and costume design by Arthur Wilson, and lighting design by Luke Willson.
Set in a Minnesota bar where heartbreak is served alongside beer, Warwick explained that The Norwegians is a sharp, surprising dark comedy about love gone wrong—and the lengths we go to set things right.
“Someone asked me recently…what is a dark comedy? Is it a play that contains sinister undertones and still makes you laugh? Enter The Norwegians,” he said.
Betty (Aspenlieder) and Olive (Pharr Wilson), two women reeling from romantic betrayal, hatch an unlikely plan: hiring a pair of Norwegian hitmen to deal with the men who wronged them.
Warwick explained that C. Denby Swanson’s dark comedy first saw the light of day in an off-off-Broadway Theatre called The Drilling Company in 2013, and has since been produced in two revised versions.
“The latest of which I now have the good fortune to start rehearsing with four outstanding actors, a superb production design group, and a highly experienced stage management team,” he added.
Tickets are available now at shakespeare.org or by calling the Box Office at 413.637.3353; prices range from $27–$77 including fees. Preview performances on Friday, September 4 and Saturday, September 5 are 10% less, and Card to Culture Tickets for ConnectorCare, EBT, and WIC families are also available for $5.
This production is generously supported by Phoebe Giddon and Gary and Jeanie Knisely.
Full cast and crew bios are available here.
About Shakespeare & Company
Shakespeare & Company was founded in 1978 by Tina Packer. Located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Company offers performance, education, and actor-training opportunities year-round and attracts more than 40,000 patrons annually with a core of more than 150 artists.
