By Jimmy Lancaster
Jimmy has been covering the Branson "Stars" for more than 14 years and is the Entertainment Editor for the "Branson Daily News," the best source of news and information about the Branson Tri-Lakes area paper. Call 1-800-280-3211 for Subscription information.
Due to bad weather, Tri-Lakes Community Theatre had to postpone/cancel their earlier dates of the musical "Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It will now be presented at the Thunderbird Theatre on Jan. 25, 26, and 27 at 8 p.m. and on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. It should be an excellent musical production.
There are several show opening changes.
Anita Byrant has moved back her opening show until Feb. 15.
Bob Nichols Morning Show will have a show on Jan. 27 at the Branson Mall Theatre.
Ragtime Lil and Banjo Banjo will opening on Apr 1 instead of Apr 2 at the Thunderbird Theatre.
Shepherd of the Hills will open on April 27 instead of April 29.
All this week the shows at the Cristy Lane Theatre are free to area residents according to Lee Stoller. Just show proof of residency. Also on Sunday. the Cristy Lane Show will be at 2 p.m. followed by the Super Bowl on their two big screen TV's, Then at 8 p.m. will be the Peter Lemongello Show. This is also free to area residents.
Shows during the week at Cristy Lane Theatre have Cristy Lane performing at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Peter Lemongello performs 5 p.m. shows on certain days and Dan Willis performs an 8 p.m. show Wednesdays through Saturdays.
This just in Mickey Gilley will be cooking his Wild Bull Chili on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" on Thursday, January 25, 1996, according to his publicist, Sandy Brokaw. Be sure to tune in on KY-3 TV (NBC) to see just what kind of shenanigans Conan will pull on Gilley, or vice versa.
I forgot to mention there has been a change in the Oak Ridge Boys. This past November, Steve Sanders quit the Oak Ridge Boys due to some family personal problems. Now, the Oaks have rehired none other than William Lee Golden. Maybe he will perform "Ozark Mountain Jubilee" for us next year at the Charley Pride Theatre.
Wayne Newton has performed his 25,000th show at the Sheraton Desert Inn Crystal Room in Las Vegas. Congratulations. In Joe Delaney's column in the Las Vegas Sun, said this of Branson and Wayne. "Branson, Mo.'s gain is our loss for too many months each year."
After all, Wayne performs basically from mid-April to mid-December here at the Wayne Newton Theatre. Congratulations Wayne on your record at Las Vegas and we hope that you will someday be setting a record in the number of shows that you will be performing at your theater in Branson.
I heard from Kitty Kelley, who did her show for the buses at Sugar Hills Farm last year, She has been doing her shows at the retirement villages around the Kansas City area recently. One of those villages was the John Knox Village, which sends a lot of their people to visit the Branson area.
Kelley's latest album "It Ain't Over Till the Fat Lady Sings" is getting quite a bit of air play in Europe as well as the northern states of the U. S. Also being released in Europe is a new single from her album entitled "My Kazoo." She said when she performs this song, she gets four people out of her audience and gives them kazoos to play.
Kazoos might be in for Branson this year.
She said that she plans to return to Sugar Hills Farm Restaurant this year, but nothing is officially confirmed yet.
Later this year as part of a film festival, there will be three new movies introduced at the Ozarks Discovery IMAX Theatre. They are Mountain Gorillas, Sharks and Living Sea. Gorillas will. debut on March 15. Living Sea will debut around May 24.
Until March 14, IMAX films being shown include Ozarks Legacy and Legend, Destiny in Space, Fires of Kuwait and Grand Canyon. Films currently being shown are on the hour from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m., except on Friday and Saturdays during February and early March when will be extended to 9 p.m.
