Die Hard 4 Your Luv

Mike and I (Kirk) saw Die Hard together as teenagers in the summer of 1988, right before the opening night of our high school’s summer production of Grease. I still remember the moment when Bruce Willis beat the piss out of Alexander Godunov — Mike and I literally jumped up onto our seats and began cheering. We came out of that movie so pumped up for our Grease performance, so full of youthful, unchecked teenage boy energy, that I am sure we annoyed the crap out of the rest of the cast that night. But it was a defining moment in our friendship, one that has lasted over 35 years. (I can’t tell you how much I hated writing that last sentence.)

Cut to two years ago when I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep, and as I lay in bed one thought randomly popped into my mind: Die Hard with a boy band.  The next day I called Mike, told him the idea, and asked if it was stupid. Mike’s response? “It’s totally stupid and we are totally going to write it.” If that’s not friendship I don’t know what is.

I’d like to dedicate this play to New Edition, a group that has been a huge part of my life since I was 12 years old. They are the best boy band ever created — do not debate me on this, you will lose — and I still have dreams of being asked to perform with them, even though I cannot remotely sing worth a damn.

As a child of the 90’s obsessed with boy bands, who grew up with GenX parents constantly watching action films of the 80’s, Die Hard 4 Your Luv was a perfect cross-section of nostalgia for my childhood. It was an absolute blast (pun intended) to revisit some childhood faves, and I loved finding inspiration from unexpected sources. I’ve immersed myself in books, movies, tv shows, and even magazines from 1999 for the better part of a year. Yes, you’ll see references to Die Hard, but also Bring It On, Josie and the Pussycats, TRL, and oh so many cheesy music videos.

This is The Factory Theater’s version of a summer blockbuster, and we hope to make you laugh and have you leave humming the number 1 song of 1999: Die Hard 4 Your Luv!

For decades, only one thing was missing from the vibrant, historic Chicago theatre scene:  A spoof of “Die Hard” AND 90s boy bands.  Only Kirk Pynchon understood this.  When he pitched the script idea to me (Mike), he said, “it’s Die Hard, but the hostages are America’s #1 boy band, called Boyz Will B Boyz.”