Hi All,
This was our first trip to Branson, MO, a town that bills itself as the live music capital of the world. Whether that's true or not, there are 50 performance venues and more than 100 different shows being performed. We planned to be here for four days but due to required coach repairs we were here for eight days. We saw a total of nine shows, ate lots of good, if not always healthy food and hiked several beautiful trails.
The shows we saw included:
SIX:- Six brothers perform a cappella including mimicking several musical instruments. They were very good and it was often hard to believe there were no instruments. They sang a mix of country, pop and rock.
GRAND JUBILEE:- A singing MC, a great sounding quartet, a female vocalist and a great band. There was also a pretty funny comedian who turned out to be a wonderful singer and fiddler. Contemporary country, a little Blue Grass and Pop.
DOWNHOME COUNTRY:- This was the same venue and same great band as Grand Jubilee. A different singing MC, a good female vocalist. Mostly traditional country.
ACROBATS OF CHINA:- This extraordinary troupe of 12 men and six women travel from China to perform in Branson from March through December (talk about culture shock!). They were fantastic. The performance included power gymnastics, some aerial work, great juggling and a woman, admittedly small, who folded her body at the waist and slipped through a 12 inch diameter tube.
DUTTONS:- This show featured three generations of one family who have been performing for 25 years! Mostly the five adult children and some of their spouses sing and play. The matriarch and patriarch sit in occasionally as well as many grand children. One solo was a six year old boy acting very suave, singing Danke Schoen. Mom and Dad wanted the kids to develop a strong work ethic so they got the kids up early every day to practice the violin. The result is an extraordinary fiddling family. The show we saw included the first appearance of a beautiful woman from the audience with curly hair who participated in a comedy skit. She wasn't a Dutton, she was a Greenbaum;-).
THREE REDNECK TENORS:- Great voices with a silly premise. The cast is four not three, they are not all rednecks (hard to be a redneck graduate of Julliard) and they are not all tenors. The music was wonderful but by the end of the first act we were wishing they would drop the silly pretense and just sing.
12 IRISH TENORS:- More great voices singing a wide range of classical, pop and Irish tunes. Curiously, the lead soloist was from the small "Irish" village of Tulsa. This guy was terrific as he ranged from Whitney Houston to Luciano Pavarotti selections.
THE HAYGOODS:- Another family whose parents started them in music very early. Now in their 20th year performing in Branson, they are very talented singers and musicians. Mom and Dad took a bow but just the kids performed the mix of country, blue grass, rock and pop. This was perhaps the most high energy show and the woman filling in for the sister who was away, did a great job.
HUGHES BROTHERS IT:- This family show includes five brothers their wives and 36 children. One brother has one child, one has 13! The show was a mix of pop tunes, Broadway and gospel. The adults and many of the children are very talented. The cutest number was about a dozen girls from age five to 12, singing "Hard Luck Life" from Annie
We didn't spend all of our time in theaters. Here are some of the other things we found to do in the Branson Area:
Hiking & Birding in Table Rock State Park
Tour inside the Table Rock Dam and Dewey Short Visitor Center at the dam site.
Hiking at the Henning Conservation Area
Hiking, birding and waterfalling at Dogwood Canyon Natural Area
Sandy & Carl
