For many Die Hard is a firm staple of the festive season. And award-winning comedian Richard Marsh has a new take on the beloved film. Daily Info sat down with Richard to talk all things Yippee Ki Yay.
Daily Info: What's Yippee Ki Yay all about?
Richard Marsh: Yippee Ki Yay is the movie Die Hard, retold as an epic poem. That may sound silly. It definitely *is* silly, but there’s more to it. I’m trying to retell the story while also capturing the emotional experience of watching the film. It has all the fights and action of the movie, but with another layer of what it is to be a Die Hard fan too.
DI: What can audiences expect from the show?
RM: They’re going to have a great time. Yippee Ki Yay is the perfect feel-good Christmas show, with all the seasonal ingredients we know and love – an awkward office Christmas party, drug use, marital problems and multiple homicides. In addition to the Die Hard-related silliness, there’s also a lot of heart to the show and people may find it surprisingly moving. It all comes from a place of huge love for the film.
DI: Why do you think Die Hard has endured as a festive watch?
RM: Families aren’t easy. Relationships aren’t easy. Raising kids isn’t easy. Many Christmas movies feed us images of perfect families having their perfect Christmas but Die Hard is more honest than that. The McClanes are separated and want to come together at Christmas, but their problems don’t magically disappear because the calendar clicks round to December 24th. Die Hard acknowledges how hard it can be at this time of year. On top of that, there’s the action, one-liners and an incredible cast. But deep down, it’s truthful.
DI: Are there any other festive films you'd like to give the Yippee Ki Yay treatment?
RM: The form emerged from the story itself. In the movie, John is alone and monologues to himself because he literally has no one else to talk to from the terrorists’ arrival until he gets hold of the radio and can speak to Al Powell. I developed the form from that and I’ve had a lot of fun turning tough-guy dialogue into poetry. So it wouldn’t be so much giving another film the Yippee Ki Yay treatment as adapting that particular story in a specific way.
Our director’s favourite Christmas film is Home Alone 2 and I’m sure he’d love to put that on stage.
DI: Can you sum the show up in three words?
RM: Merry Christmas, terrorists!
Yippee Ki Yay is at the Old Fire Station on Friday 9th December. Tickets for the rest of the tour can be found here.