An emotional New Year's Eve in Branson

Missouri's Little Las Vegas

Branson, a small city in the midwestern United States state of Missouri, is world-famous for its highly entertaining family-friendly shows.

There are all kinds of unique performances that you won't find anywhere else. According to the mayor, "You might not see what we have here in Las Vegas, but in Branson we have some of the same types of performances that you can find in Las Vegas."

Most of the theaters are built along the main 8-kilometer West 76 Country Road, nestled between amusement parks, mini golf courses, restaurants and hotels of all kinds.

Of course, the main attraction of the place is the spectacular shows that attract the most visitors from around 10am until late at night. That is why this place is called “The City of Shows”.

Paradise of live shows

There are hundreds of shows every day in Branson, catering to all ages, genders and budgets. Coming here to enjoy New Year’s Eve, I, like many other visitors, chose a show that was both affordable and to my liking.

In the afternoon, I chose the “Acrobat of China” circus show - a highlight from China. The first impression was that before the show, all visitors were treated to a cup of hot tea brewed by a Chinese artist.

Present in this city since 1998, this "small circus" currently has more than 50 actors and performs 2-3 shows daily at a theater with a capacity of more than 2,000 seats.

With the award-winning circus show “A Dream Journey”, the artists brought the audience breathtaking aerial acrobatics, combined with modern dance, musicals. In addition, circus acts with hats, aerial acrobatics with stilts, and performances with balls also brought the audience exciting moments...

Immersed in the fascinating performances, hunger came without me realizing it. At this time, I went to “The World’s Best Dinner Show” to enjoy a delicious 4-course meal while watching a combination of animal and comedy performances.

“Dolly Parton’s Stampede” truly brought to the diners the most “difficult to eat” show in their lives because as soon as they picked up the food (no cutlery was served) and put it in their mouths, they had to gasp in surprise and then put it down and clap their hands at the performances. And perhaps that’s why the name of the show is associated with the word “stampede” because the visitors were busy holding the food – I guess so!

All evening long, I was constantly taking pictures of the horsemen’s acrobatics, laughing hysterically at the actors’ exchanges, and cheering on the pigs racing or the dogs in the relay race. It all happened so fast and continuously until the last second that the huge turkey meal was still uneaten, so I had to take the “to-go box” (food bag) home.

But getting out of the show was also a challenge. Hundreds of people lingered to buy souvenirs, plus a large number of people coming to the next show, making the already spacious auditorium become full!

I also got to listen to artists playing the "Ha Uy Cam" and enjoy a sweet mocktail, feeling the warm end-of-year moments in the cold -10 degrees Celsius.

Late at night, I stopped by Dick Clark's American Bandstand to see the show "Legends In Concert".

It was great to be able to see The Blues Brothers™ (TM added because they signed on), Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Tina Turner and all the big names of today all in one concert. The fact that the singers were dressed up as “Familiar Faces”, played their own instruments, danced and interacted with the audience during the performance made the show feel fresh even though the songs were a bit dated.

The famous songs of the time such as: Rolling on the River, Simply the Best (Tina Turner) - corrected with the correct song title and singer, Jackson (Johnny Cash), Soul man, Almost (The Blues Brothers™), Candle in the wind (Elton John), Suspicious minds, Teddy bear, Burning love (Elvis Presley)... made the older female audience tear up, wanting to get closer to their idols even though they knew that they were just "substitute" singers.

Each performance, when combined together, created a truly spectacular show. From the choreography, costumes, hair and makeup to the music and stage effects, everything was fantastic. This show deserves to be on every visitor’s “must see” list when visiting Branson.

The show just ended as fireworks exploded in the sky over Branson, signaling the start of the new year 2019 with good hopes for everyone!

Show reference address:

• Acrobats of China: 4080 W 76th Country Road
• Dolly Parton's Stampede: 1525 W 76th Country Road
• Legends In Concert: 1600 W 76th Country Road

Vinh Phan