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A heavy metal high five for the holidays
from Twisted Sister front man

Dee Snider's "Rock & Roll Christmas Tale"
Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place
Chicago, IL
November 19 and 20, 2014

Story and red carpet/curtain call photos by Andy Argyrakis
Performance photos courtesy of Broadway In Chicago

He'll always be enshrined as the totally over the top front man for Twisted Sister, but even long after the 1980s, Dee Snider's become a pop culture mainstay thanks to time on the "Celebrity Apprentice," "Growing Up Twisted," "Celebrity Wife Swap," plus his own nationally syndicated radio show "House Of Hair." These days, the pony tailed metal man is making the musical rounds, following in the footsteps of fellow MTV mainstays like Sting and Cyndi Lauper to set his sights on Broadway with an entirely new and original production.

Like the fellow decade of decadence-themed Broadway favorite "Rock Of Ages" (which featured Snider in a three month run), this "Rock & Roll Christmas Tale" with a twist has its tongue planted firmly in its cheek, as demonstrated during a pair of world premiere openings at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. The holiday-themed metal musical first tipped off Wednesday night with several of Snider's famous friends in attendance (guitar god Lita Ford, fellow '80s lady Debbie Gibson, "American Idol" alum turned "Apprentice" pal Clay Aiken and pro wrestling legend Mick Foley), followed by Thursday's less star-studded but nonetheless appreciative audience.

No matter the night, the 95 minute journey traced the fictional metal band Daisy Cutter attempting to break beyond the bar scene towards national superstardom. It's a story the real life Snider knows extremely well, so having him serve as the narrator is a natural fit, though this burgeoning band is mistakenly trying to make a name for themselves in the present day (rather than back in the day when the style was at its peak). Considering Daisy Cutter is so far removed from current musical trends, members have no choice to sell their soul to the devil in hopes of making a short cut on the ladder to success, but the guys don't wind up climbing in their desired direction thanks to constant interceptions from the unseen spirit of Christmas.

Intermingled within covers like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Silver Bells" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" are aggressive originals written strictly for this show, which fit right alongside the mindset of mandatory Twisted Sister smashes "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock." It definitely makes for an unconventional, adrenaline-stacked approach to seasonal sounds and traditional theatergoers might want to bring their ear plugs, but by the time Snider steps out of character to lead Daisy Cutter for a grand finale sing-a-long, fans and the less familiar alike are sure to unite in the countdown to Christmas, even if it intentionally sounds more like 1984 than 2014.

Dee Snider's "Rock & Roll Christmas Tale" continues various dates and times at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place through January 4, 2015. For additional details, visit www.broadwayinchicago.com.