A Very Die Hard Christmas Reaches Its Milestone 100th Performance at the Bryant-Lake Bowl

Ever since it was released in July of 1988, the debate has raged on: is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Star Bruce Willis declared in 2018 that “Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. It’s a goddamn Bruce Willis movie!” Yet that same year, for the 30th anniversary, 20th Century Fox released an official trailer calling it “the Greatest Christmas Story Ever Told.”

In 2012, Minnesota fans Josh Carson, Brad Erickson, Andy Kraft, and Mike Mayket decided to prove once and for all that Die Hard is a Christmas movie by staging a musical version, A Very Die Hard Christmas. The show retells the beloved ’80s classic onstage with singing, actors, puppets, Christmas characters, and “an unimaginable amount of blood.” Although it wasn’t an instant success—Carson has said, “The first year we sometimes performed for five people”—this year the entire run of shows at the Bryant-Lake Bowl sold out in less than an hour. The show has become a holiday tradition, with people flying in from as far as Florida and Texas to witness the spectacle. And on December 22, 2023, A Very Die Hard Christmas will stage its 100th performance.

The 2023 cast of A Very Die Hard Christmas with guest Nur-D as Santa.

This year’s show is performed by Josh Carson, Justine Carroll Melchior, Duck Washington, Kelsey Laurel Cramer, Brad Erickson, Tara Borman, Aron Woldeslassie, and Matt Sciple. Each performance has a special guest star appearing as Santa Claus, and this 2023 secret Santas have included musician Kat Perkins and hip-hop artist Nur-D.

Although the show is sold out, A Very Die Hard Christmas will return to Bryant-Lake Bowl for next year’s holiday season—tickets go on sale in October. In the meantime, you can find information about other shows at the venue and a selection of Die Hard Christmas merchandise on the Bryant-Lake Bowl website.