[ad_1]
Die Hard is one of the most exciting Christmas movies ever, with enough one-liners and head-spinning action sequences to last us a lifetime. I wouldn’t consider it a comedy, but Bruce Willis’s performance was innately funny—after all, he was first and foremost a comedic actor before the film turned him into a viable action superstar.
Naturally, Die Hard is a cult favorite, and I was excited to attend Yippee Ki Yay, its parody theatrical celebration, written and performed by British actor and poet Richard Marsh. It’s touted as an epic comic poem, a one-man show, and a love letter to the love story within the original film. The premise is a bit chaotic in nature, and the production itself is very stripped down (they own no rights to the intellectual property), but that’s OK. If you really love Die Hard, it’s possible you’d be fine with this retelling.
Yippee Ki Yay
Through 12/15: Tue–Thu 7 PM, Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2 and 7:30 PM, Sun 1 PM; also Wed 12/11 1 PM; Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut, broadwayinchicago.com, $31-$81
I love Die Hard, but I had damn near an immediate counter to the performance: Bob’s Burgers. Season 5, episode 1 of the heartwarming animated comedy series is also a cult favorite. Gene—younger brother and musical cognoscente of the Belcher family—plans a rogue Die Hard–inspired opus at his middle school, complete with big songs (yes, they were singing songs based on the film), sibling rivalry, and hilarious outcomes. Possibly even more hilarious than Yippee Ki Yay.
We get interesting bits within the latter parody: poetry, rhyme, juicy pop culture callbacks, and the juxtaposition of John McClane’s struggling marriage with the writer’s own. West Midlands, UK actor Darrel Bailey did a fine job as the alternate performer and a dazzling job at managing several American (and a few German) accents. He was genuinely funny, although I couldn’t help but shake the feeling something was . . . missing? The production is a collection of “what-ifs?” What if John and Holly McClane communicated better? What if we knew what Holly was really thinking throughout her ordeal? Honestly, I wasn’t engrossed enough to care.
Yippee Ki Yay is an admirable undertaking and right up the alley of a Die Hard hyperfan, but lacks in its ability to captivate. It’s fine enough, and lots of quips get giggles, but if you aren’t obsessed with damn near every line of the original film, as well as its pop culture references, you might want to pass on this production.
Reader Recommends: THEATER & DANCE
Reader reviews of Chicago theater, dance, comedy, and performance arts.
Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol translates well on the Studebaker stage.
Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer returns after several years in hibernation.
Tony Kushner’s A Bright Room Called Day shows us how we got here.
The Totality of All Things examines the national divide through a high school hate crime.
Lauren Gunderson’s Little Women premieres at Northlight.
Trap Door’s Fraudulent LLC hits almost too close to home.
[ad_2]
Source link