Thy Hard
Michael Shaeffer
Forsooth! A poet pitches a Shakespearean adaptation of Die Hard. Sonnets and silly soliloquies at Nakatomi Plaza with appearances by Argyle, Holly, Hans Gruber and John McClane. Yippee ki-yay, muckle rucker!
Venue: The Comedy Corner - Underground
Tagged For: Comedy, Storytelling, Literary Adaptation, Shakespearian Elements
Content Warnings: Adult Language, Crude Humor, Mental Illness, Violence, Loud Noises, Gun/Weapon Usage
Ages 12-15 and up
I was very happy to see Michael Shaeffer return to the Minnesota Fringe Festival last year after a long absence, with another fun and clever 5-star show. What a treat to have him come back again for the second year in a row.
This time, instead of being at Strike, he’s going to be at The Comedy Corner - Underground venue, between the Southern Theater and TRP at Seven Corners in the West Bank cluster.
A Shakespearian gloss on Die Hard?
Well, we do already have a Christmas holiday tradition version at the Bryant Lake Bowl with homicidal puppets each December.
And we’ve seen iambic pentameter spins on everything from Pulp Fiction to Aliens to Roadhouse here at the Fringe in the past. Why not Die Hard?
If anyone can do it, I’m sure Michael can. (In fact, it sounds like it was a big hit at the Kansas City Fringe last week, winning Best of Venue. Lots of glowing reviews posted.) Michael says it’s the third of his Shakespearian trilogy, Caddyshack and Breakfast Club being the first two classics to get the treatment, so he’s on a roll.
He’s got a video trailer to give you a taste:
Audience response in KC has covered all points on the spectrum, from “the funniest thing I have seen in YEARS” to the ever reliable “poignant” (because it is also a bit of a love letter to his grandmother and Bruce Willis, both suffering from mental decline due to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease - and a portion of the proceeds from the show go to support medical research.). Tim Mooney gives it five Yoricks for its impressive level of Shakespeare cred (I’m not kidding, it’s on the More Information tab with the other reviews, and you know Tim Mooney is hard to impress with the classics.). People are throwing around the words genius, masterful, inventive, amazed, incredibly entertaining, and one reviewer reassures potential audience members: “You do not have to be a Shakespearean fan to enjoy this witty fusion of pop culture with Shakespeare's prose.”
There’s also a webinar discussing frontal temporal dementia, Bruce Willis, and the premiere of Thy Hard, if you’re the kind of spectator that enjoys a different level of behind the scenes homework for your Fringe experience:
If you’re on the West Bank one day (or more) this Fringe, and he’s on the schedule, check him out!
Here's some handy links to this year's Top 10 list and Top 11-20 list, also a full list of all returning favorites to this year's Fringe, plus a link to all the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival coverage.
While I have your attention, please VOTE :)
Minnesota is currently in the early voting period
for our Congressional and local primaries (I had the U.S. Senate,
Congress, and the Minneapolis school board on my ballot) - final day to
vote in the primary is Tuesday, August 13th, but you don't have to wait
until Fringe is over, go vote right now :)
Early voting for the Presidential Election itself in Minnesota starts on Friday, September 20th.
We're lucky to have a lot of time to get our voices heard, so cast your
vote, and then make sure everyone you know and love is registered and
gets to the polls to vote. Election Day, your final date to vote, is Tuesday, November 5th.
As a queer playwright and theater maker, I want a government that's compassionate and competent enough to keep us all safe and healthy, keep theaters open and running, and personally, I'd just like to be legal myself and keep the weirdos out of government and out of my personal business (and the things I post on this blog, for instance). We all have our reasons, so let's make sure we get the leaders we need and deserve, and get our friends, family and co-workers to raise their voices, too.
Find where to vote and what's on your ballot (with links to candidate websites) and other resources at the Minnesota Secretary of State's website.
For other resources on how to register, volunteer or donate, locally or nationally, check out Vote Save America.
Vote. Raise your voice. We're not going back.
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