Review: 
 
Yippee Ki Yay (The Parody Celebration of DIE HARD)
20/02/2024
 
Adelaide College of the Arts – Main Theatre
 
I got to meet and chat with writer Richard Marsh, also the star of this one man show, just a few minutes prior to the show commencing and he was engaging, animated and nothing like the plethora of characters he was about to embody.  
 
After about 5 minutes, Richard excused himself and the smoke and lights enveloped a single chair in the middle of the stage preparing the audience for an hour and 10 minutes of access into the world of Die Hard – The original movie.
 
From the opening moments it was clear to see that Richard is an extremely talented writer. He was able to weave his way through the minds and physical being of all the main characters in Die Hard; John McCLane, Holly Gennaro McClane, Sgt Al Powell, Argyle, Hans Gruber, Harry Ellis and more.  If as I do, you love Allan Rickman – Gruber, you will be in hysterics at Marsh’s portrayal of an Englishman with a really bad German accent.
 
Marsh is a master at the endless punchline whilst sticking closely to the original movie plot.  This is no big budget blockbuster and special effects included a watering can substituting for the Nakatomi fountain and two stuffed bears featuring in fight and death scenes.
 
“Yippee Ki Yay” is more than just Die Hard, it is a love story intertwined with the script which sees Richard step away from the main plot, delving into his own life of how he met his wife on a “Die Hard” Forum site, and built a family with two children.  
 
Drawn together by their love of this franchise, Richard and partner Jenn also identified the vulnerability of navigating life together with two young children and the need to nurture and maintain love and their own identities.  This extra dimension did not detract from the flow of Yippee Ki Yay, but enhanced it.
 
There was so much to see and hear in this production and Marsh not only presents an amazing number of different voices but physically makes each character come to life.  While Bruce Willis spoke his thoughts throughout the movie, Marsh eloquently elaborated the inner most thoughts of each player (sometimes as a narrator), which provided greater context around the characters than could be portrayed in the film.
 
There is a lot to like about this production, the lighting was superb, the low budget special effects were perfect (No green screen), and no animals were harmed in this production.
 
Most of all, the performance by Marsh of material he wrote himself was superb. 
 
Marsh clearly loves “Die Hard”, but it is not just the accuracy of the performance, it was his brilliant delivery. The constant switches between characters, clever references to contemporary events and his ability to capture my undivided attention for over 1 hour left me wishing it was 1988 and wanting to go back to watch the movie again.
 
Yippee Ki Yay is a mesmerising, captivating, physical, funny, poignant at times, accurate look back at this historic piece of cinema history that is guaranteed to make you talk about it to your friends when you leave.  
 
In the end, “Yippee Ki Yay could just be another chapter of my Christmas movie favourite, “Love Actually” but this time with guns.  The premise is the same, love conquers all.  
 
Don’t just see the big production shows at Fringe.  Independent theatre only survives if we support shows like this one.  The venue is great, parking is close.  “Yippee Ki Yay” is more than worth the price of a ticket so tell your friends to grab one now Motherf@#%^&.
 
 
Written and performed by Richard Marsh
Directed by Hal Chambers
Produced by James Seabright
 
 
5 Stars
 
Reviewer: Stephen Foenander for ART - Adelaide Review Team
#Adlfringe2024 #yky @ykylive @richardbmarsh