A VERY DIE HARD CHRISTMAS Extends Run in L.A.

Playwright Josh Carson just wanted to settle a long-standing debate.

"This play was born out of an argument I inevitably have every year about whether or not 'Die Hard' was a Christmas movie," he said. "For as many people who were wrong about that particular issue, I happened across more people who not only agreed with me, but made that movie an annual tradition. Those are the people I want to go to a Christmas party with. And 'A Very Die Hard Christmas' is that Christmas party."

Four years later, his show is a holiday staple in the Twin Cities. Now it makes its West Coast Premiere with Theatre Unleashed, from Dec. 3-19 at The Belfry Stage in North Hollywood.

High above the city of L.A., a team of terrorists has seized a building, taken hostages, and declared war. One man has managed to escape. An off-duty cop hiding somewhere inside. He's alone, tired...and he doesn't like Christmas. Yippee Ki-Yay, Father Christmas!

"We've seen great success with parodies in the past with the wildly popular 'The Spidey Project' and I knew this clever and off-the-wall take on the classic 80s movie would be something L.A. audiences would embrace," said Jenn Scuderi Crafts, the company's artistic director. "After seeing it in Minneapolis, we chatted with Josh, as he was covered in comical amounts of stage blood, and we were instantly excited to bring his hilarious piece to the west coast!"

And TU's production promises to be a spectacle!

"Audiences can expect everything they enjoyed from the original film," said the show's director Gregory Crafts. "Action, humor, Professor Snape taking people hostage, singing, dancing, the guy from 'Family Matters' as played by a snowman, guns, puppets, explosions, the EPA guy from 'Ghostbusters' getting punched in the face, and Christmas miracles and familiar holiday friends galore. Maybe even an appearance by the legend himself, Santa Claus! All this will be delivered on a shoe string budget in a forty-seat black box theatre in North Hollywood. We're pulling out all the stops."

A Very Die Hard Christmas wraps a successful 2015 that included popular and critically acclaimed shows like Ligature Marks, Boy Get Girl, Sleeping Around , Cake and A Feast of Snacks. TU is taking a break from its normal holiday tradition KAWL Presents It's a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play for the Stage, which is going through re-writes and may return soon. In the meantime, the company is excited about the prospect of building a brand new holiday must-see! Check out www.theatreunleashed.org for more info on all Theatre Unleashed shows.

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