Review: A VERY DIE HARD CHRISTMAS at Seattle Public Theater Will Have You Dying of Laughter

A VERY DIE HARD CHRISTMAS at Seattle Public Theatre will have you dying from laughter. With gags, antics, witty remarks, and tomfoolery, the cast manages to tell a fairly accurate story. While the gunfire and explosions may be downgraded to squirt guns and Nerf guns, there is nothing downgraded about the humor and entertainment. With barely a pause for a rollerblading Zamboni clean up, the show heats up the holidays in perfect parody style.

Christmas Eve finds New York cop John McClane heading for the west coast to spend the holiday with his estranged wife Holly and their kids. His meet up with Holly at her office party at Nakatomi Tower is cut short by a group of German terrorists who want to steal the Bearer Bonds from the vault. McClane is in a death match of wits with Hans Gruber, the head of the terrorist group. He finds an unlikely partner in LAPD Sgt. Al Howell. Together they must save the hostages and salvage the holidays.

Jason Marr as John McClane may require you to do a double take or triple take. Even Bruce Willis couldn't replicate his expressions any better. Helen Roundhill brings a little steam to the scene with her portrayal of Holly Genarro. Bob Williams as Sgt. Al Howell is a giant teddy bear of goodness. You instantly like him, laugh with him, and want to be friends with him. Narration provided by Mark Siano is loud and brash and perfectly in tune with the show. And he wears a smashing red suit that would make Santa pea green with envy. Ronnie Hill as the safe-cracking terrorist Theo is a great balance to the terrorist team. His super geeky clumsiness is remarkable, especially if you know how smooth Hill is out of character. The biggest surprise is how utterly perfect Rebecca Olson is as Hans Gruber. Her lines drip from her perfectly snarled lips in marked and slow cadence of exacted German accent. Her swagger and timing are impeccable.

With the holidays full of obligations, deadlines, and to-do lists galore, A VERY DIE HARD CHRISTMAS provides an opportunity to take a break and laugh out loud. And it's not the social media, cutesy "lol" but a real belly laugh until your sides hurt kind of laugh. Seattle Public Theater knows they have a winner on their hands, and I hope they keep bringing it back year after year so that we can make A VERY DIE HARD CHRISTMAS part of our family holiday traditions.

A VERY DIE HARD CHRISTMAS is playing now through Dec. 28th at Seattle Public Theater and is a Habit Comedy production. For tickets or more information, visit www.seattlepublictheater.org.