Norway Massacre Turned Into a ... Musical?

An upcoming British musical show will tackle the grim subject of Anders Breivik's 2011 massacre of 77 people, reports the Guardian. But after researching in Norway, David Greig opted to set his work, called The Events, in Scotland and not mention Breivik's name. "Some people asked us not to write or talk about Breivik," says Greig. "I am not at all certain whether we give him a victory by ignoring him or trying to understand him. That is what I wanted to question."

So he made The Events about a woman connected to the massacre who struggles with her response to it. "Americans responded one way [to 9/11], and Norway responded with democracy," he says. "I wanted to look at whether trying to understand a crime of this nature is really the best way." He also wants audiences to ask whether a lone gunman like Breivik or Adam Lanza is so different from a mass killer like Osama bin Laden. Scheduled to premiere this summer in England, the show will feature choir music because choirs "represent that basic faith in the group," says Greig. (More Anders Behring Breivik stories.)