Hughes Brothers Theatre News from Branson MO

• Holiday show a family affair at the Hughes Brothers Theatre in Branson MO
  By Tyler Francke, Branson Tri-Lakes News
  The “Hughes Brothers Christmas Show” is among the minority of Branson’s entertainment scene this time of year in that it is a full holiday presentation.
  
  During this season, many other theaters present half of their regular season show and half of a Christmas show, or intersperse seasonal material through the production.
  
  Jason Hughes, second-oldest brother, said there are several reasons his family “doesn’t hold back at all” when it comes to Christmas.
  
  “The first show we ever did in Branson was a Christmas show,” he said.
  
  In fact, he said the holidays have always been the busiest season, in terms of number of shows for the Hughes brothers, who have been performing since they were children.
  
  But, Jason Hughes said the decision to present a show that was entirely Christmas-themed went beyond the fact that the brothers happened to have a lot of holiday material.
  
  “Personally, we feel like there’s just so much to present when it comes to Christmas,” he said. “I think it wouldn’t have the same feeling if we tried to squeeze all that into half of a show.”
  
  Read the rest of the story here:
  http://bransontrilakesnews.com/entertainment/article_f45a19aa-22a6-11e1-aaaa-0019bb2963f4.html
  
  
  
  
• Branson Performers help out with Joplin clean up effort
  Posted by Kale Garner of KOAM TV and Fox 14
  
  The support is coming from everywhere now dozens of Branson performers will participate in the Joplin relief effort during a Branson cares telethon.
  
  We will air that telethon on Sunday, June 26th but today Angela Garcia met up with a number of those performers who are already getting started.
  
  The sound of chainsaws and stacking debris aren't typical sounds coming from these Branson entertainers.
  
  A handful of performers put their normal jobs on hold to help clean up Joplin neighborhoods.
  
  "we're glad to be here glad to help out however we can- good way to spend the weekend. The silver lining in all of this is that so many people can come together and do some good together. It just makes you feel good inside."
  
  The Hughes brothers signed up to volunteer through their church
  
  They will also participate in the Branson Cares Telethon.
  
  This was the first time many of the performers had been in Joplin since the tornado hit.
  
  "I just couldn't believe the devastation. All the trees torn apart. The buildings leveled, uh pieces of metal and buildings wrapped around trees. It's hard to believe. It's completely different to see things first hand than to see it on the news or see pictures of it. "
  
  Tim Dutton and his wife volunteered through the boomtown days event.
  
  They signed up for the race which was then changed to a clean up day after the tornado.
  
  "Many of the Branson performers say they offer relief to people through their entertainment. After seeing the devastation in Joplin they knew they had to bring their effort here."
  
  "The one thing that can never be taken from us is our hope. And that's something that we can all give as Branson entertains. We entertain- but being able to come up here and let the people know that even as far away as Branson- that we're thinking about them we care enough that we wanna come up here, clean up and help them rebuild."
  
  
  
  
• A trip to Branson goes beyond the expected (from the St Louis Post-Dispatch)
  By Amy Bertrand for the St Louis Post-Dispatch
  
  Here are a few excerpts from the story:
  
  "I'll admit I was curious. In the weeks preceding our trip to Branson, I had heard opinions on the "Live Music Capital of the World" from several dozen people."
  
  "Branson, it turns out, is both everything I expected and nothing I expected."
  
  "Obviously, we barely scratched the surface of all there is to see and do in Branson."
  
  THE SHOWS
  
  "Sure, Branson features plenty of famous singers and variety shows, but I wanted to try something different."
  
  And here's a little bit of what she had to say about our friends JEERK who perform at the Hughes Brothers Theatre:
  
  JEERK
  "This unexpected hit, named Best New Show last year by BransonCritic.com, was a favorite of every member of my family." (and there's more...read the entire story at http://www.stltoday.com/travel/article_47df42eb-394b-5ef5-92e7-3d347ce747b9.html
  
  
  
  
• Hughes Brothers Show is Open For Hot Winter Fun!
  Starting Friday, February 4, the Hughes Brothers Show will be open at 8pm, Tuesday through Saturday through March 5. (closed February 26). Be sure and come join us and kick those winter blues:
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Hughes Brothers Christmas show a family affair in Branson MO
  By Dave Woods
  Joplin Globe new media and marketing manager
  
  BRANSON, Mo. — Jason Hughes and his four performing brothers come by their love of music and entertaining naturally.
  
  “My dad was a great singer and played the accordion and guitar by ear, and my mother was quite an accomplished clarinetist,” the 39-year-old father of seven said. “My mother and father loved to sing and play. They didn’t do it for a living; they just really enjoyed it a lot.”
  
  As children, the Hughes brothers’ parents encouraged their boys to learn musical instruments, unafraid of a percussive clan.
  
  “They kept a box full of rhythm instruments in the closet and would pass them out to all of us when we were just little,” he said. “We would play the (wooden) block and the triangle. It was a noisy household.”
  
  In the Hughes family, they learned to love entertaining at an early age.
  
  “People would ask us to sing for this or that,” Hughes said. “Somebody would see us singing together and ask us to do something else.”
  
  Eventually, Mom and Dad Hughes stepped off stage and moved behind the scenes, leaving the performing to their talented boys. That was 30 years ago.
  
  Today, the five performing brothers, their wives, dozens of kids and four adopted siblings — more than 40 in all and growing all of the time — bill them selves as “America ’s Largest Performing Family.” The fertile Branson brood entertains visitors at The Hughes Brothers Theater through Dec. 18 with a special Christmas show and the promise of another new offering next year.
  
  Small breaks
  
  “When we were kids, it was just one gig after another gig. It just got bigger all of the time,” he said. “We stepped up to the opportunities. I don’t think we ever did have a big break. It was just a series of steps and smaller breaks.”
  
  Small steps or not, the boy band from Taylorsville, Utah, got its break. It led them to Branson.
  
  “People were always telling us we should go to Branson,” Hughes said. “We didn’t know much about Branson, but people told us we would be the perfect show.”
  
  The Hughes family won a talent contest in Las Vegas and earned a recording contract in Nashville. They decided to give Branson a look — and an audition — along the way.
  
  They liked what they saw. The Hughes Brothers landed a gig at Silver Dollar City. Soon, Merle Osmond liked what he saw and offered the guys a chance to fill in for his family when the Osmond Brothers were out of town. One gig led to another and, eventually, they landed in their own theater and produced their own shows.
  
  “Then our wives started to perform with us and then we added more variety in the show as kids joined in,” Hughes said. “To us it was just the logical thing that they would be involved. I don’t know that we actually ever made that conscious decision. It just happened.”
  
  Family affair
  
  It all started when Hughes’ brother Marty’s 2-year-old daughter jumped up on the stage one day at Silver Dollar City while her dad and uncles were performing.
  
  “She started to wiggle and dance to the music the audience went nuts,” the proud uncle said. “She knew that it was for her and then she did it every day.”
  
  Hughes laughed when asked if he knew their kids steal the show.
  
  “There’s no doubt,” he said. “When we first started it wasn’t what we expected. It was kind like what happened with us and our parents.”
  
  The family, he said, has always been quick to nurture the talents of their kids.
  
  “We’ve always see the possibilities when they present themselves. It’s funny, as we watch the kids grow and they show an interest we encourage them to pursue it and get lessons. We try to find experts to give them instructions so they can progress and so we can find a way to incorporate them into the show.”
  
  Today, nearly 30 singing and dancing third-generation Hughes are involved in the family show and business.
  
  ‘Warm and fuzzy’
  
  The first half of the family’s Christmas show, Hughes said, “is probably the quintessential Christmas show most people will see. We sing all of the great traditional Christmas songs as a family, which Christmas is all about. Some of the songs we sing in the Christmas show we sang when we first started singing together as brothers.”
  
  Hughes said that he and his brother have been singing “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” together for more than 25 years.
  
  “It gives you that all warm and fuzzy Christmas feeling,” he said.
  
  During the second half of the show, the theme turns more spiritual.
  
  “Santa narrates the story of the true meaning of Christmas, with the symbols that Christmas represents,” he said. “In the end, Christmas is about Christ. People always tell us after the show that, ‘We are so glad that you put Christ back into Christmas.’ I think if you take Christ out of Christmas all you end up with is ‘Mas.’”