When I received my itinerary for the #BloggingBranson trip I couldn’t believe how many Christmas shows we were going to see! I had seen more shows on that trip than I have seen my entire life. Which makes me want to take my kids to more shows!
I was invited by Stone Castle Hotel and Conference Center as part of a media FAM to explore Branson, Missouri. All opinions are 100% my own.
Three of My Must See Christmas Shows in Branson
While on this trip I saw seven live Christmas Shows. The three of them that I am sharing today were performed by (in no particular order).
- The Clay Cooper Theater
- The Hughes Brothers Christmas Show
- Branson’s Famous Baldknobbers
After seeing my first ever Broadway-style Christmas show in Branson, I was blown away by the quality of the performance, the friendliness of the staff, and the hospitality from the star of each show! These theaters were run by families, and each family was very proud of their theaters. Each show had a special uniqueness to them which makes it possible to see several shows in one trip.
I would love to see a show from each theater during the non holiday season. If you would like a chance to see two of these performers I have a giveaway at the end of this blog post. You will have a chance to win tickets to Clay Cooper Theatre or The Baldknobbers.
Clay Cooper Theatre
The first thing that I noticed when arrived was our greeting. One of the actual performers was our welcome guide who would direct us into the lobby for our group photograph and then to our seats. While there he talked with us a little bit about his role in the show and when to look out for him. Little did I know he was in the most of the show!
Then we had a hysterical pre-show. My face hurt from laughing so much. I was so entertained.
The hospitality was felt again when Clay Cooper came out and sang and then welcomed us and walked out to the audience to greet people. It was amazing! He remembered everyone’s names too! He even walked over to us and I got to speak to him!
The performance was amazing. I also really enjoyed their nod to the classics with the Grinch and the antics with the Batman versus Robin style mischief. Having not been familiar with variety shows, I loved it. The first half of the show was part of Clay’s Country Express show and then the holiday show after intermission.
When the show was over and the audience left we had the opportunity to interview a member of the show. I had the great pleasure to interview Tina Cooper. Clay’s wife creates the Christmas show and the choreography for it among other things like being a mom, and wife and a business owner! I loved hearing that even performers have lives just like ours. Their “office hours” may be different from ours are, but at the end of the day, they are packing lunches and getting their families ready for their next day, too.
After the interviews were over Clay was so gracious to do individual and then group photographs with all of us. What a fun night! And the bar was now set high for the expectations of the Must See Branson Christmas Shows!
The Hughes Brothers Christmas Show
I was so touched by the Hughes Brothers Christmas Show. This show was different from the Clay Cooper Show and the Branson Baldknobbers show because it was a Christmas Show from start to finish.
The Hughes Brother Show was so beautiful. The entire show’s performers were all family members whether they were brother, sister, cousin, husband, wife, niece or nephew. Somehow they are all related.
The theme of the show was to explain the meaning of Christmas and the symbolism of Santa Clause, candy canes, Christmas trees, and the colors of holiday to the story of the birth of Jesus and the real reason for the season.
The harmony of their voices, and the sounds of their violins were so beautiful. The show was filled with beautiful dances, beautiful dresses, eloquent dancing, solos and also lots of children! This show moved me.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Joseph Hughes. I was goofing around with several of the children right after the show and so when it was time for me to interview Joseph, all of the kids wanted to see what we were doing! So I had to squeeze us all in the shot! Hope you enjoy their curiosity and playfulness during this interview!
If you are ever in Branson you have to visit the Hughes Brothers Theater. They have been awarded the Best Christmas Show from BransonShowAwards.com. I don’t want to give too much away, but one of my favorite parts of the show is the Carol of the Bells.
The Branson Baldknobbers
Like the Clay Cooper Show, The Branson Baldknobbers are a variety show that mixes comedy in with their musical performances. They had us in stitches with their comedians Hargus and Droopy.
The Mabe Family perform at the new Branson Famous Theatre and began this entertainment phenomenon 58 years ago. Their style of music is a blend of country music, gospel and some bluegrass. The Mabe family intends to take their legacy into the future as well.
After the show I had the chance to interview one of the band members, Grant Moody who also happens to perform in several other theaters in Branson. This young musician has a lot going on!
Must See Branson Christmas Shows Giveaway
If you would like to win tickets to a Clay Cooper Theatre or The Branson Baldknobbers show, follow the steps below to enter the giveaway.
Now that you have heard about the three different shows I had the pleasure to see, which one would you like to see first?