Written by Barry Reszel for Chicagoland Musical Theatre

Fictional metal band Däisy Cüter rocking out Twisted Sister’s holiday mashup “We’re Not Gonna Take It/Oh Come All Ye Faithful” midway through Dee Snider’s Rock & Roll Christmas Tale might just be the greatest simultaneous, euphemistic flipping off of all time.

Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey? Burl Ives’ Sam the Snowman? F-you!  And that goes double for Linus Van Pelt’s heartfelt Biblical monologue, too. 

“I can’t believe nobody has thought of this before,” Snider, the show’s narrator and exorcist, told the Chicago Tribune recently. “Everything else out there is all The Nutcracker or The Grinch. I took my 10-year-old to Radio City once. He told me it made him hate Christmas.”

And so long-time rock & roll star Snider is world premiering his show in Chicago this year, looking to turn holiday entertainment upside-down, or at least capture a niche piece of the seasonal economy by marketing a head-banging Christmas show aimed at Baby Boomer rockers and their families.

“It’s edgy with an exorcism, but you walk out feeling Christmas-y,” Snider said to Windy City Times. “I will be bringing my grandkids, and I have three of them. I had that in mind as I created it. I wanted a show that would be entertaining and that I could share with my children and grandchildren.”

He and Broadway in Chicago have assembled fine talent to do just that. The crazed foursome of Däisy Cüter includes local musical theatre pros Adam Michaels, Dan Peters, Tommy Hahn and Wilam Tarris. And the lovely trio of supporting ladies, Keely Vasquez, Christina Nieves and Taylor Yacktman, is every bit the band’s equal.

Each song is well-played and extraordinarily well-sung, leaving at least one observer to wish this octet (including Snider) was performing a holiday concert. The most coveted ticket in town might be an invite to a Rock & Roll Christmas Tale cast party.

That’s because the show’s plot, while mildly entertaining, squeezes out much of the terrific music. The story is of a heavy metal, Twisted Sister-esque, bar band looking to become rich and famous. These guys never seemed to get the message that that 80s are so three decades ago. Nevertheless, they take mythic rock tradition’s ultimate step and sell their souls to the devil in exchange for success beyond their wildest metal dreams. Too bad the author of their blood pact with Satan is spelling-impaired, turning their head-banging anthems into warm-hearted carols, albeit with an edge.

At 90 minutes with no intermission, there may be room in a next iteration to expand the songbook. The three ladies deserve a greater showcase for their talents, not just their bodies. And there’s no doubt more vocals from Michaels, Nieves, Snider, Vasquez and Yacktman would give patrons greater opportunity to wave their green and red flashlights illuminating their appreciation and demanding encores.

As it now plays, Dee Snider’s Rock & Roll Christmas Tale is an entertaining  alternative for those who’d like to tell Rudolph where he can stick his red nose.

“Dee Snider’s Rock & Roll Christmas Tale” plays through Jan. 4 at the Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut St. Additional information and tickets ($30-$90) are available online at www.broadwayinchicago.com or by phone at (800) 775-2000.