Branson’s Family Friendly Shows

The billboard driving into Branson shocked me.

The “cuchi cuchi” Charo of my childhood?

Time Machine to 1970s Vegas

Yes. That Charo. She performed at Andy Williams’ Moon River Theater for several weeks in 2007 shimmying in a tight pink glittery tuxedo and making crowds laugh. I may have been the only patron who didn’t have an AARP card, but watching Charo made me feel like I had traveled back in time to 1970s Vegas.

When Charo stepped off the stage and headed toward the audience, my heart skipped a beat. Then, she headed straight to me.

“Take a picture, take a picture,” she squeals to my mother as she pulls me to stand up.

• The new Shanghai Circus offers a show that will both entertain and astound.
• Courtesy of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB

There I am with Charo, a petite firecracker, who is doing the bump with me while my mother tries to snap a picture.

In 2008, Charo is replaced with song and dance maven Ann-Margaret along with a return engagement with country legend Glen Campbell. Will I be there? Of course, I have to see Ann-Margaret sing songs from Viva Las Vegas and maybe I’ll get to dance with her too.

Flying Rubber Men

Okay, so these are performing legends and kids today have no clue about Charo or Andy Williams. Would they want to see her shake her booty and play her flamenco tunes? Hmm, probably not.

When I asked my boyfriend’s two sons if they wanted to see some Chinese acrobats, the 8-year-old nodded ecstatically. The 12-year-old not so much. That’s because he doesn’t like to sit still for more than 10 minutes unless he is strumming his guitar or listening to loud music.

• Be sure to stop by the Sight and Sound Theatre in Branson to see the stage version of the story of Noah and his ark.
• Courtesy of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB

But 15 minutes into watching the New Shanghai Circus—Chinese girls twirl plates on their heads and boys twist into inhumane shapes—neither one of them blinked. Most shows in Branson offer a 15-minute intermission after the first hour. The second hour retained its magic with a girl balancing more than 20 glasses on her head, hands and feet, and also in her mouth, performers on the high wire and jumping through hoops, and boys climbing poles.

Ride Along With Noah

The big show to hit Branson in 2008 is Noah—The Musical, which opened in May in the gigantic Sight and Sound Theatre, Branson’s biggest building. The show is a complicated production with a huge cast of actors, along with 75 live and 200 animatronic animals.

While the play is long and little mystery shrouds the plot, the sets are some of the most amazing in theater today. Prior to intermission, the cast marches down the theater’s center aisle with an array of animals—geese, donkeys, llamas, even a zebra. It’s hard not to be wowed by the production’s enormity. After intermission, the curtains rise on a four-story tiered stage and the audience sits inside the ark with the animals. 

Meet and Greet

A nice aspect of Branson shows is the opportunity to meet the performers after the show. Most performers greet their fans and sign autographs. Granted, Charo and Andy Williams didn’t. But some major stars do.

Righteous Brother Bill Medley performs at the Dick Clark Theater with Paul Revere and the Raiders. After an awesome rock show with lights, confetti and greatest hits, Medley and Revere greeted fans for over an hour. I didn’t even know a Paul Revere song but the show was one of the best, and funniest, I had ever seen. Revere serves up ‘60s rock with witty banter and crazy antics. Medley is a top-rate singer who has fallen in love with Branson and so has his family. His 20-year-old daughter, McKenna, performs in an afternoon show at the theater and sings in the theater’s swanky Club 57 lounge after hours. His son, Darrin, is the lead singer for Paul Revere’s band.