Enjoying the Unauthorized Musical Parody of Home Alone

It was the winter of 1990 and I was a bored preteen in Northern Indiana. One evening my mom took me to the twin cinemas at the mall and I settled down with my popcorn and red vines to watch a new release – Home Alone. I didn’t know anybody in it but it looked pretty funny and took place in the very area I lived in. From the opening credits I was hooked. That Kevin McCallister was hilarious! And the Wet Bandits! And the South Bend Snow Shovel Slayer! It quickly became my favorite movie. On the day it was released on video I took my allowance and bought a copy and when Home Alone 2 opened I was there on opening day.  Needless to say it was a big part of my childhood so when I was invited back to Rockwell Table & Stage to catch a performance of The Unauthorized Musical Parody of Home Alone I was so there.

On a recent Saturday night I met my good pal Mary and headed to Rockwell for another fun night. We settled into our stage side seats, ordered our dinner and drinks and settled in for the show. Mary loves Home Alone just as much as I do so we both had high expectations for the show. As soon as the lights went down and Gwen Hollander as Kevin McCallister took the stage I knew it was going to be a fun night.

Hollander was pitch perfect as Kevin – capturing his adolescent cockiness and childhood fear in equal measure. She delivered the films key lines (Buzz, your girlfriend, woof!) with ease and when it came time to belt out the musical numbers – the girl has pipes!

That’s one guarantee at Rockwell’s musical parodies – lots and lots of songs. Usually, it’s a sampling of pop hits but this time they were joined by several beloved Christmas songs. Who new “All I Want for Christmas is You” so perfectly encapsulated the relationship between Kevin and his mom (ably played by Marla Mindelle).

Of course, no parody of Home Alone would be complete without an appearance by the Wet Bandits.

Played by Joey Bybee and Spencer Strong Smith Harry and Marv nearly stole the show. They could sing, they could dance and when the big showdown happened they nearly had me rooting for them. But, as always, Kevin prevailed and the McCallisters had a happy ending.

The Unauthorized Musical Parody of Home Alone is such a fun way to get a good dose of Christmas spirit. With an enthusiastic cast, great music and lots of laughs it’s a fabulous way to celebrate the holidays.