Did we ever decide definitively if Die Hard really was a Christmas movie? Either way, around 95% of the audience in the auditorium at Gilded Balloon at the museum answered in the affirmative when asked by Darrel Bailey if they had seen the film. The remaining 5% had nothing to worry about as Yippee Ki Yay: The Die Hard Parody recreates the Bruce Willis blockbuster in hilarious fashion.
Written by Richard Marsh and directed by Hal Chambers this heartfelt solo show brings together so many of the reasons that this film has remained so popular, while also spawning a number of sequels.
Darrel is a huge fan of the film, and it was while browsing a Die Hard forum online that he met Jen, another Die Hard fan. So Yippee Ki Yay becomes two parallel stories – the recreation of the movie and Darrel and Jen’s love story.
Darrel plays all of the film’s big characters; John McLean of course, Hans Gruber, Carl, and henchmen galore. Each of them is given their own distinct, caricatured, personalities. Going by the reaction of the audience, Bailey’s portrayal of Hans and Carl were the firm favourites.
Told entirely in verse, Darrel the poet gracefully and energetically talks us through the highs and lows of both stories. For the most part it’s extremely funny, Bailey has a very natural rapport with the audience and that serves to make it even funnier. But there’s a more tender and heartwarming story attached that also borrows the themes of the movie.
Yippee Ki Yay is brimming with delightful one liners and clever comedy that will definitely appeal to die hard Die Hard fans, but it’s real strength is in Bailey’s charming performance. This retelling of one of the greatest Christmas films ever made feels like a very special gift indeed.
