In Tucson, Live Theatre Workshop’s The Norwegians Brings More Than Friendly Laughter

By Sara Castillo

Live Theatre Workshop in Tucson presents The Norwegians, which was originally conceived as a 10-minute play. The author, C. Danby Swanson, has said that the play was written at 2 AM, in hopes of entering it into a festival. Having lived in Minnesota for a time during a Jerome Fellowship at the Playwright’s Center, Swanson was well-acuainted with a Minnesota winters and the term ”Minnesota nice,” which can be used in two contradictory ways. After taking the show to a full-length production, The Norwegians received a world premiere in March of 2013 in New York. This dark comedy, with its absurd scenarios, has made its way to Tucson to amuse new audiences.

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This show is about gangsters, but really, really nice ones. Tor (Keith Wick) is a Norwegian gangster who is accompanied by Gus (Stephen Frankenfield). Although they look intimidating, they assure everyone that they’re very nice; they are, after all, from Minnesota. They have certain skills that appeal to Olive (Avis Judd), skills of the kind where ex-boyfriends no longer exist. Olive does a nice job of being intimidated by the Norwegian gangsters, until they assure her of their friendly ways. They aren’t mean because they rely heavily on advertising and referrals, even having business cards made up thanks to Gus, their Assistant Vice-President of Marketing. Olive’s friend, Betty (Samantha Cormier), has a habit of going on long rants about the dangers of not finding a lover before the first frost in Minnesota as well as the ridiculous culture of people born and raised in that state. The two women bond over being Minnesota transplants and broken hearts, leading to searching out special services from the Norwegians.

Each of the four actors give great performances, combining their obvious talent and good direction. Wick plays Tor as being menacing at moments and shy and awkward in others. Tor seems to see every invention in the world simply something other cultures stole from the Norwegians.

He is well-matched with his literal partner-in-crime, Gus. This character could be played as a one-note doofus in a life of crime, but Frankenfield brings a lot of heart to the character and leads the audience actually rooting for him to murder someone.

Judd shines best when she gives way to rants. These moments allow the big emotions of the moment to fill the stage.

It is Cormier’s performance that is the stand-out performance of the night. Betty has large chunks of monologues throughout the play, which give the actor a chance to dominate the stage, but this could also be a huge liability. These lengthy monologues could easily go wrong, leaving the audience glossy-eyed and fazing out. Cormier knows how to vary her speed and tone to keep these long rants attention-grabbing and, most importantly, entertaining. One can only assume that Director Roberto Guajardo and Cormier worked hard in staging and presenting these monologues so that they help to punch some of The Norwegians‘ themes.

Although the story is an absurdly dark comedy there are some real moments in the show, like when Tor tells Olive, “Everyone wants someone dead at some point in time.” Heartbreak is a very real theme in this show, one that can really only be healed with a great deal of laughter.

Transitioning between various scenes and settings, Lighting Designer Richard Gremel does a nice job helping to isolate each scene as the script jumps back and forth. Brian McElroy‘s sound design complements Gremel’s lighting as the script transitions from a bar to the backroom of the gangster’s place. Karin Hupp‘s scenic painting, which includes a dive bar with a spray-painted Norwegian flag, is amusing. Each character’s clothes give off a specific impression, thanks to the costume design of Rose Donatti, which can make even nice-guy gangsters look utterly terrifying. The script jumps between locations and time periods a lot, so having such a strong creative team makes it easy for the audience to follow the action. However, a show can only be good as it’s director and Roberto Guajardo is excellent. Having seen him earlier this season starring in Heisenburg, I could clearly see that he is a director who understands actors.

The Norwegians runs until mid-February, so there’s plenty of time to brave “Minnesota nice” and get tickets for this comedic play. It is recommended for adult audiences due to language and subject matter.

Live Theatre Workshop Presents The Norwegians, by C. Denby Swanson.
Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85712
Jan 9- Feb 15, 2020 7:30 PM, matinee 3 PM, See site for individual performance dates and time.
Tickets: $15-20
Contact: 520-327-4242
Live Theatre Workshop Website
Live Theatre Workshop Facebook Page
The Norwegians Facebook Event