Theatre Unleashed has two Christmas shows it performs yearly, neither of which is A Christmas Carol. One of these (lucky for us) plays at the Fringe this year.
This show has a simple but delicious conceit--adapting the hit action movie not only into a musical but a Christmas musical, taking music from a variety of holiday specials and movies. This alone works. Add to that a tiny mountain of pop references, easter eggs, wonderful theatrical flourishes worthy of farce and the recipe then waits only for a good production. Wisely, TU keeps changing up the cast each year, which helps keep in fresh--especially in terms of the villain Hans Gruber, as juicy a chance to chew up scenery as anyone could as for! Comedy is a strangely delicate thing. One misfire can set off a cascade of deadly silence. Likewise start off right and keep the right momentum going and even a flub becomes part of the overall hilarity. A Very Die Hard Christmas makes for a fine example of boisterous, clever fun. When I'm not laughing watching this I'm nearly always grinning. (Note: If you have not seen the movie, though, you probably won't "get" this show--just sayin')
PERFORMANCES
Sunday June 17 at 6pm
Thursday June 21 at 7:30pm
Saturday June 23 at 6:30pm
LOCATION
Studio/Stage, 520 North Western Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90004
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