‘Dee Snider’s Rock & Roll Christmas Tale’ provides a fun twist to the holidays

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Photo by Justin Barbin via Broadway in Chicago under Creative Commons license

Dee Snider and the members of Däisy Cütter strike a pose during the musical.

Tess O'Brien, Arts and Entertainment Editor

When hearing about a Rock ‘n’ Roll Christmas show, many people shudder at the absurdity of it. However, those people probably haven’t heard the surprisingly enjoyable mashup of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “O’ Come All Ye Faithful.” Created by the lead singer of legendary heavy metal band Twisted Sister, “Dee Snider’s Rock & Roll Christmas Tale” is a must-see show with both classic and not-so-classic holiday music like this.

Narrated by Dee Snider himself, the play centers around a struggling heavy metal band called Däisy Cütter, repeatedly and unfortunately mispelled Däisy Cüter, that seems to never get a fan no matter how hard they try. After years of failure and the threat of losing their one gig in a small bar, the band members do what every successful rock group has done: sell their souls to the devil. At first, the band believes that this deal has helped them greatly; they do sound better, after all. There is one problem though– they can only sing Christmas music.

Dee Snider's Rock n Roll Christmas Tale

This musical proves itself to be hilarious, rocking and strangely sentimental. Classic metal songs like “I Wanna Rock” along with twisted Christmas carols such as “White Christmas” bring this play to a whole different level than your basic Rockettes. Performed by experienced actors, one of them being on the television show “Chicago Fire,” these carols sound great and make you want to scream along. Underneath all of the heavy metal is a softer storyline, with a bit of a romance tied in. This family-friendly show has something for everyone and provides a nice change to Christmas tradition. Regardless of whether or not you like the show, hearing Snider sing a classic Twisted Sister song makes it so worthwhile.

The best thing about this musical other than the amazing setlist was its comedy. The show wasn’t of much substance, but it was definitely funny to watch. In it’s relatively short runtime of one and a half hours, there were multiple running gags and stupid, yet ingenious one-liners that kept you laughing.

Personally, I think that the best and wittiest part of the show was the twist ending. It was so obvious and there were so many hints dropped throughout the play, but it was so different from any other holiday show that you don’t see it coming. Let’s just say that Santa is a lot darker than we think he is.

If you’re looking for a unique holiday experience, I highly recommend “Dee Snider’s Rock & Roll Christmas Tale,” which is playing at Broadway in Chicago until Jan. 4, 2015. Even if you don’t like the holidays, I can guarantee that you’ll have a rocking time!