Norseplay

The Musical Adventures of Loki and Thor

THOR: A world without killing? Such a thing is not to be imagined.
FREYJA: Why not?
THOR: How would one exact vengeance?

from "Norseplay"

Praise for Norseplay

"This ambitious but flawed musical overflows with ideas...delves into the weirdness of the Norse gods’ oft-time savior also being the parent of their destruction...the best experience is in the front row, where the more slapstick and burlesque aspects are better appreciated."
- Basil Considine, Twin Cities Arts Reader

"This show provided an entertaining crash course in Norse mythos."
-Michael Shaeffer, slam poet

"A smart, cool, creative concept...it's groovy, and I guarantee it'll get you thinking about theatre in a new way."
-Caitlin Gilmet, freelance writer

"...it's an embarrassment of riches...the commitment to the process of this bunch is everywhere evident."
-Matthew Everett, playwright

About the Show

Wine! Women! And nanny goats! A raunchy celebration of divine hedonism! It's like the Ring Cycle, performed by the Marx Brothers. On acid.

Norseplay is based on the Eddas, a collection of Icelandic poetry that is by turns both profane and profound. Several of the more farcical exploits of Loki, the god of mischief and a fast-talking con man, are here spun into bawdy slapstick entertainment in the giddy and grotesque spirit of the burlesque show.

Warning

This show contains lethal doses of mature language and immature humor. So kids, don't tell your parents. Parents, don't tell your kids.

Script Information

a two-act musical comedy
original music composed by Elizabeth Byrd
book and lyrics by phillip andrew bennett low
based on material by Snorri Sturluson
estimated running time: two hours (with intermission)

Cast: four male, two female, plus a two-piece band, eight total
Setting: four of the nine worlds of Scandinavian cosmology: Asgard, realm of the gods; Jotunheim, realm of the giants; Midgard (Earth), realm of men; and Niflheim, realm of the dead; as well as Bifrost, the rainbow bridge between them.
Time: from the prophecy of Hel at the beginning of time to the twilight of the gods, at the end.

Produced: several excerpted songs and routines were presented as part of the 2004 Minnesota Fringe Festival under the title Lokasenna. First full production took place in June 2023 at the Phoenix Theater.
Family-friendly? No; contains heavy profanity and bawdy humor.