The Laboratory Theater of Florida in downtown Fort Myers has a penchant for parody. And to prove that point once more, Lab is staging the regional premiere of Michael Shepherd Jordan and Alex Garday’s ridiculously funny Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas: A Die Hard Musical Parody.
In so doing, they’ve cued up a question that has divided America since 1988—is Die Hard a Christmas movie?
Die Hard screenwriters Steven de Souza and Jeb Stuart say it is. That seemed to settle the matter until Die Hard star Bruce Willis countered that it’s not. Lab Theater’s cast and crew are noncommittal.
“I can safely say I’m a big fan of the movie and I can also say I’m taking no stance on whether or not it’s a Christmas movie,” asserts Daniel Sabiston, who plays the Hans Gruber character Hans Olo.
“It’s one of those movies that yes, it’s fun to watch at Christmas, but it can also be enjoyed at any time.”
Cast mate Jency Emo, who plays Willis, the stand-in for sleazy Nakatomi employee Harry Ellis, expands on Sabiston’s point.
“I’m falling right there in the middle because yes, it takes place at Christmas, but the only red I see on stage is the blood of almost every cast member.”
There are at least five key reasons Yippee Ki-Yay is unequivocally a Christmas show.
At the top of the list is the musical’s opening scene, a La La Land-esque musical number definitively titled “California Christmas.”
Next, the musical takes place on Christmas Eve - not Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July – and during a Christmas office party at that!
It’s also no coincidence that the musical’s ‘80s-era heroine is a woman named Holly.
Die Hard also has much in common with the pinnacle of Christmas movies, It’s A Wonderful Life. Both revolve around an average guy just trying to do right by his fellow man.
“Die Hard was one of the first movies where the main character was … more of an Everyman rather than the main character being an incredibly macho this-man-can-do-everything kind of person,” notes Mark King, who plays muscle-shirted NYPD cop Bruce McClain. “Die Hard is about doing right by others because bad things happen.”
In Wonderful Life, Everyman George Bailey is challenged to do right during the Great Depression when curmudgeon egotist Henry Potter absconds with the savings and loan deposit that forgetful Uncle Billy hands him in a folded up newspaper.
In Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas! Bruce McClain is called upon during the Decade of Decadence to save doomed Nakatomi employees when narcissistic fashionista Hans Olo seeks to steal $640 million in negotiable bearer bonds to pay off exorbitant bills he’s racked up buying expensive John Phillips London suits.
“I have a whole song that’s just talking about how much I love clothing,” remarks Daniel Sabiston. “It’s literally called ‘Let’s Talk About Our Outfits,’ which is so great to just say the title and then cue the music. The whole thing is just me waxing poetically about how much I enjoy looking good as I’m robbing people and killing people.”
Finally, when it comes to iconic Christmas songs, there’s none greater than Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” and Dean Martin’s “Let It Snow.” Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas has its own version of a white Christmas — a rousing gospel number sung by Jency Emo called “Cocaine.”
Whether or not Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas is a Christmas show, Lab Theater Artistic Director Annette Trossbach thinks the musical is a much-needed antidote to sickeningly saccharine Christmas shows.
“At a time of year when we’re used to seeing a lot of A Christmas Carol productions and we’re used to seeing a lot of Nutcracker productions, this would be a show for people who want a change from that and want to come out and be wowed by something that’s very over-the-top and silly as a parody. It’s so much ridiculous fun,” says Trossbach.
But there’s one more reason to see Yippee Ki-Yay.
“Lab Theater is the place in Southwest Florida to come and see new material,” Trossbach adds. “We looked hard for it and were able to secure the rights for this thing and it’s absolutely hilarious and fun and I think the show is really going to go places.”
Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas! plays at Lab Theater now through December 23rd. Go here for play dates, times and a full cast list.
To read more stories about the arts in Southwest Florida visit Tom Hall's website: SWFL Art in the News.
Audio is engineered and produced by WGCU's Tara Calligan.
Spotlight on the Arts for WGCU is funded in part by Naomi Bloom, Jay & Toshiko Tompkins, and Julie & Phil Wade.
MORE INFORMATION
- The musical opens with a rousing rendition of a song titled “California Christmas.”
- “We start off with this grizzled New York cop lighting a cigarette,” Producing Artistic Director Annette Trossbach points out. “He says, ‘I guess I’m in California now,’ and BANG, we’re right in the middle of a very bright and big and loud and flashy musical number. And everyone sings about stereotypes of California – plastic faces, silicone derrieres and a place where you can make it as long as you have money or you have something to offer … “ “And you’re okay with pushing other people out of the spotlight in exchange for yourself,” cast member Katherine Suero wryly adds.
- While movie critics and influencers have long debated whether or not Die Hard is Christmas fare, the viewing public has little doubt. According to DISH, 2.4 million people watched Die Hard during the Christmas season in 2016, and 1.3 million of those on Christmas Eve. On TV, Die Hard is watched more than Christmas classics like Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street, or The Santa Clause. In a survey of 23,133 viewers conducted several years ago, 18,011 people or 77.9 percent said that Die Hard is absolutely, unequivocally a Christmas movie.
- On the other side of the divide, naysayers point to the movie’s July 15th release as evidence that it was never intended as a Christmas movie. The argument is unavailing given that perennial seasonal favorite Holiday Inn, in which Bing Crosby warbles Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” standard, was also a summer release (August 4, 1942). Even White Christmas was released in mid-October (1954). So proximity to Christmas is not necessarily a criterion for a Christmas film.
- One of the funniest songs in the musical is Hans Olo’s “Let’s Talk About Our Outfits.” While the song mocks the terrorist’s obsession with fashion, it metaphorically ridicules America’s obsession with labels and the outward trappings of success. “A lot of what Hans does in this show is more like just what a person who doesn’t know fashion thinks fashion is,” observes Hans Olo actor Daniel Sabiston. “It’s more just like ‘Oh, I recognize that brand. That’s an expensive brand. So this must be good.’ Like I make a point every chance I can to say that my suit is John Phillips London.”
- In the movie, Alan Rickman’s character, Hans Gruber, makes the comment, “Nice suit. John Phillips, London. I have two myself… rumor has it Arafat buys his there.” The London tailor is actually non-existent. It was invented for the film’s narrative, namely that Gruber’s conspicuous admiration for Takagi’s high tailoring as well as Harry Ellis’ smug admiration for the Rolex he gives Holly reflect the vain, materialistic, power-hungry psyche of the late ’80s that Bret Easton Ellis tapped into with sociopaths like Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, who would just as soon kill someone for wearing an unfashionable suit.
- In the musical, Costume Designer Alena Stevenson attired Sabiston in a tan silk suit with matching statement necktie that compliments his long dirty blond Fabio wig. The full-cut jacket has all the earmarks of a decade-defining power suit — strong, squared padded shoulders, lower gorge notch lapels and proportional three-button front that accentuates Sabiston’s tall, sleek build. In fact, the only thing missing is a black silk Takagi pocket square to complete his jet black shirt.
- In the musical, Hans Olo demands not to have a coterie of political prisoners released in exchange for the safety of his hostages, but for various fashion pretenders to be immediately closed. While he includes JC Penney, Wet Seal and OshKosh B’gosh by name, there’s no mention of Chico’s or White House/Black Market, which presumably bear the Hans Olo mark of approval.
- Bruce McClain actor Mark King has a wealth of experience playing musicals. Most recently, he appeared in Avenue Q and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street for Lab Theater and The Rocky Horror Show at Fort Myers Theater. But Yippee Ki-Yay represents his first lead, and the role has compelled him to really step out of his comfort zone. “Even though he’s the protagonist and he’s the hero, he’s also a bit more brash than [any other character I’ve previously] played, and certainly more brash than I ever conduct myself in real life. I’m definitely grappling with being a character who screams f-bombs to so many people … kind of a bit of a learning curve for me because even though I may curse in my own day-to-day activities, I tend not to curse at people. I tend to curse at things or at life, you know?”
- Lab Producing Artistic Director Annette Trossbach confesses that Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas “brings out my inner 13-year-old boy, which is really immature and ridiculous.” It’s that type of show. “It’s just ridiculous fun. It’s an action show. It moves really quickly. It’s got unexpected dance numbers including a tap number (featuring Katherine Suero) and a gospel chorus (that also includes Katherine Suero).
- While Yippee Ki-Yay is not an audience-participation production, it is somewhat interactive. “There’s a song in the show called ‘Twinkie,’” laughs Annette Trossbach. “It’s really naughty and fun, and we will be throwing Twinkies out at the audience during the number.” So be forewarned.
- The movie’s soundtrack features a number of Christmas tunes, including Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis” and Frank Sinatra’s rendition of “Let it Snow.” Fun fact: Composer Jules Styne and lyricist Sammy Cahn wrote the latter standard while trying to endure one of the hottest days on record in Southern California in July of 1945. Instead of heading to the beach, they decided to stay inside and write a song that would transport them to the winters of their youths. And while the movie uses Frank Sinatra’s rendition, it was fellow Rat Packer Dean Martin who popularized the song, although his version of “Let It Snow” didn’t crack the Billboard Top 100 until 2018 – the first time a Dean Martin track charted in 49 years!
- In recent decades, Rod Stewart, Michael Bublé, Jewel, and 98 Degrees have covered “Let It Snow.” Some artists have found creative ways to make the classic song sound fresh. For example, in 2005, Carly Simon released a version from the perspective of the party host instead of the guest. But Yippee Ki-Yay’s variation on the Let It Snow theme, “Cocaine,” is about as different as it comes.
- That’s yet another reason why cast member Jency Emo predicts that Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas will resonate with Lab Theater audiences. “It is Christmas,” she says dryly. “Everybody loves a bloody shoot-up musical during Christmas, right? But I just kind of think in the seriousness of today, it just kind of takes all that away and everyone can just come and have fun.”
To read more stories about the arts in Southwest Florida visit Tom Hall's website: SWFL Art in the News.
