New Show at the Hamner Barber Theater in 2010!

The Hamner Barber Theater is proud to announce that The Keatings… A Father and Son Musical Experience will be joining their line-up of top quality, family entertainment in 2010. They will perform at 3:oo PM on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays beginning April 28, 2010.

Also featured at the theater in 2010 will be the Hamner Barber Variety Show starring illusionists The Hamners and comedian ventriloquist Jim Barber.

Returning for their 4th season in Branson is Ricky Boen & Texas Mud presenting World Championship Western Swing Music mornings at Hamner Barber Theater.

“We feel the Keatings are a perfect fit for our theater and we know that our guests will fall in love with not only their beautiful voices, but with them as well. They are friendly, genuine and extremely gifted performers. When we first heard them sing, they knocked our socks off! Their live band of musicians are top pros in the business, and the back up singers are stand outs themselves. It’s going to be an entertaining show that audiences of any age will enjoy. We are honored to have them appearing at our venue in 2010.”

Dave Hamner and Jim Barber

The Keatings, Ken and Josh, take audiences on a musical journey that spans numerous genres including pop, jazz, rock, country, opera, Broadway, standards, and even gospel. Audiences are captivated by the unique combination of powerful voices from a father and his 18 year old son. Recently, The Keatings performed on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon and in February, 2010 they will be making their debut appearance on a world-class Crystal Cruise Lines ship.

Ken Keating is an accomplished vocalist and pianist. Ken was one of the original winners of the Liberace scholarship for both the piano and voice categories in 1981. Ken has been performing since he was a teenager. By the age of 18, he was playing with his show band in lounges around the Las Vegas strip.

Ken has done extensive vocal work with critically acclaimed groups such as the William Hall Master Chorale, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Boston Pops. He has performed in such places as the Hollywood Bowl and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and has worked with celebrities such as Celine Dion, Carol Burnett and Hal Linden.

By the age of 11, Josh Keating was already performing on stage in Las Vegas and developing his craft. In 2005, at the age of 14, Josh auditioned alongside hundreds of other singers ranging in age from 14 to 28 for Andre Agassi’s Grand Slam to Stardom competition. After several rounds of auditions, performances, and eliminations, Josh was selected by a panel of celebrity judges as one of the three chosen singers to be sent to Malibu, CA to meet with Grammy Award winning producer, David Foster.

Josh was invited to perform as a special guest at a charity event in Las Vegas called “An Evening With Tony Bennett And The Stars”. Josh performed along with an array of stars and received a standing ovation started by Mr. Bennett himself.

Related Websites: ExperienceTheKeatings.com, KenKeating.net, HamnerBarber.com

Branson Webcast Hosts and stars of the Hamner Barber Variety Show, Dave Hamner and Jim Barber really enjoyed being part of the parade, and pulled off a great magic illusion of being able to fit into Pam Critchfield’s tiny convertible Porsche while driving and waving to the crowd.

Jim Barber & Seville - Dave Hamner driving | Photo by Jeremy Mason McGraw

More Photos of the Parade & Behind the Scenes by Jeremy Mason McGraw

Jim Barber and Dave Hamner driving in Holiday Promenade of Stars | Photo by Greta Busch

Ventriloquist Jim Barber took his turn at the live performance stage in front of the Titanic Museum, as he sang along with his sidekick Seville to their rendition of the “12 Days of Branson.”

Jim Barber & Seville sing Twelve Days of Branson | Photo by Michael London

Music legend Andy Williams served as Grand Marshall for the Event and also rode the entire Parade route in Grand Style.

Andy Williams - Parade Grand Marshall | Photo by Craig Burnett

The live entertainment portions featured brief performances by many Branson entertainers who sang to the cheering crowd that gathered around the production stage in front of the Titanic – World’s Largest Museum Attraction.

Jim Barber & Seville sing on the Parade Stage | Photo by Craig Burnett

Andy Williams sings on Parade Stage | Photo by Craig Burnett

The television broadcast schedule of the Holiday Promenade of Stars is for Thanksgiving and Christmas day to an estimated 102 million plus households across the nation. In the Springfield/Branson area the parade special will be televised on KSFX Ozarks FOX. In Branson on The Vacation Channel it will be aired six times: Thanksgiving Day at 8 a.m., Nov. 27 at 8 p.m., Nov. 28 at 8 p.m., Nov. 29 at 8 a.m., Nov. 30 at 8 p.m., and Christmas Eve at 8 p.m. National broadcasts are on RFD-TV and Retro Television Network. RFD-TV is carried on several satellite and cable providers including over 625 independent cable operators to 42 million households and Retro Television Network is seen in 17 of the top 25 markets to more than 60 million households on nearly 100 stations in cities such as Pittsburg, Atlanta, Seattle, Orlando, St. Louis and Boston, according to Nielsen ratings.

Produced by Midwest Concerts & Events, LLC, the Holiday Promenade of Stars promises to be a highlight of Ozark Mountain Christmas for many years to come.

For more information: HolidayPromenadeOfStars.com, Midwest Concerts & Events

Related article: Hamner Barber Featured in Holiday Promenade of Stars

Related interview: Gary Bartlett | Producer of the Promenade of Stars Event

This inquisitive pair of baby Greenwing Macaws were hatched about 7 weeks ago as part of a licensed domestic breeding program arranged by BransonWebcast.com co-host Dave Hamner and his wife Denise under the direction of Linda Hughes of Rainbow Realm Aviaries in Rhome, TX.  “Linda is one of the best parrot breeders we have ever worked with,” said Dave Hamner.  “We can’t say enough nice things about her facility in Texas.”

As these colorful birds fill out their plumage and grow to full size, they will become highly intelligent and perhaps they will even make an appearance on stage at the Hamner Barber Theater and fly high above the heads of the audience as their parents did before retiring to the breeding program.

A Few Feathered Facts

Greenwings are considered the smartest breed of the large macaws, with an ability to learn things quickly. They are the second largest in size next to the Hyacinth Macaw. Interactive socially with both people and parrots, the Greenwing macaw often possesses a sweet nature. With a life expectancy of 60-80 years or more, they can make excellent life-long companions, but raising a parrot as a pet is not for everyone. Parrots don’t provide unconditional love and a caretaker needs extreme patience and skill to earn a bird’s respect. These birds also require a great deal of physical and mental stimulation, as they are famous for their mischevious nature and need to chew and destroy. A healthy and proper diet is essential, and over a lifetime, raising a parrot (let alone an entire flock) can be extremely expensive.

Help Name The New Babies

The Hamners have devoted the greater part of their lives caring for over two-dozen of these wonderful winged creatures. They truly think of them more as children than they do as pets. With the arrival of these new babies, we thought it would be fun to give our online friends an opportunity to come up with the names that these two Macaws will carry for the rest of their lives. It’s an important assignment, and one not to be taken lightly. Here’s how you can participate…

Enter Today for Your Chance To Win

Send us an email and include only one name for each bird. One is a male, and the other is female. Be creative with your selection and you’ll have a chance to not only claim the title of “Bird Namer to the Stars,” but you’ll also win a fabulous prize package from the Hamner Barber Theater valued at over $100.00 that includes Hamner Barber DVD’s, Magic Tricks, Puppets, Show Tickets and more suprises!

Submit your entry no later than 11:00pm on Friday, August 28, 2009.

The entire staff, cast and crew of the Hamner Barber Variety Show will be given a list of each entry and asked to select their favorite. The entry with the most votes is the winner. Should no entry recieve more than one vote, the Hamners themselves will then determine the winner.

The winner will be announced on the Hamner Barber website on Tuesday, September 1, 2009.

Put your thinking caps on, and send us your names today. Be sure to include your name and shipping address so we can mail your prize package should you be the winner. You may also post comments to this article below, but only name submissions sent via email will be considered for the contest.

Thank you for participating in this feathered fun!

When the new Branson Airport opened it’s runway in May of 2009, the First Annual Branson Airshow featuring the United States Air Force Thunderbirds and a host of other flying daredevils brought a brand new form of entertainment high above the skies of the Live Show Capital of the World. It wasn’t the first time however, that Branson audiences looked up to see the miraculous happenings in the air above.

Before the screaming jet engines and the plumes of dense smoke, there was a modestly quaint and colorful performance happening nightly over the heads of astonished Branson theater goers. The routine known as the “Pirate Parrot Act” was developed over many years of intense training, love and dedication by professional illusionists Dave and Denise Hamner who came to the Ozarks from their ranch home in Southern California where they raised their birds by hand and tended to them kindly as if they were their own children. In their one-of-a-kind act, a beautiful bevy of exotic, tropical parrots appear from nowhere, flying low enough over the audience as to rustle the hair of anyone in their path. There are macaws, cockatoos and even white doves creating a seemingly endless array of feathered fun to the delight of those looking up from below. The giddy laughs of amazement and vocal cheers from the crowd is testament to the sheer magnificence of their original routine. Branson audiences had never seen anything like this before.

The Hamners were receiving high recognition for their magical effects, long before bringing them to Branson. In addition to appearances across the country, they’ve performed at major attractions such as Disneyland and Hollywood’s Magic Castle. After a performance in Las Vegas, entertainment Superstars Siegfried and Roy presented the Hamners with their prestigious Bronze Lion Award for excellence and shortly thereafter, they were asked to perform with their beautiful birds on NBC’s “World’s Greatest Magic” TV special which has been aired around the world numerous times. Host John Ritter introduced the Hamners as “the most amazing bird act in all of magic.”

When the Hamners were hired to perform at a theater in the Mutton Hollow Theme Park in Branson, Missouri (most recently known as Celebration City), they were so taken by the beauty of the Ozarks, that they sought out other opportunities to stay in the area. After an invitation from Jimmy Osmond to join him and his talented brothers at the Osmond Family Theater, The Hamners began to earn a reputation around Branson as one of the most amazing support acts in town. When their contract at the Osmond Theater expired, Dave and Denise were offered a featured role in a new production show called “Branson City Lights” which then led to an opportunity to finally headline their own “Magic of the Night” spectacular at the Remington Theatre. A couple years later, they once again teamed up with Jimmy Osmond to perform in the “American Jukebox Show” where they shared a dressing room with comedian, ventriloquist Jim Barber who had also been cast in the new show. Although the Hamners and Jim Barber had been friends for many years prior, this opportunity to appear in the same show brought them much closer together.

After a successful two-season run, the plug was pulled on the American Jukebox Show creating an opportunity for the performers to move on to new ventures. Jimmy Osmond traveled to England to produce and star in various projects, and in the Spring of 2004, Jim Barber and The Hamners were offered an opportunity to co-star in their very own “Hamner Barber Variety Show” at another venue that they now own together, the Hamner Barber Theater on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway. In 2010, the award-winning variety show will celebrate it’s seventh-season as Branson’s most unique family show featuring magic, comedy, music and dance.

In addition to their magical feathered friends, the Hamners have also invented and developed many never-before-seen stage illusions that can only be experienced at their Branson show. In the world of illusion, The Hamners are true originals in every sense of the word. As long as they continue to step out onto the stage of the Hamner Barber Theater, there will be magic in the air above Branson!

“Thank You’s Not Enough” is a magical, multimedia tribute to American Veterans and active service members and is the new finale of the popular Hamner Barber Variety Show on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway.

Featured are three survivors of the WWII Battle for Iwo Jima, Major John Keith Wells, Marines (TX), Ray Victor Snapp, Navy-USS Pensacola (OH), and Richard F. Green, Marines-USS Pensacola (AR).

Major John Keith Wells led what is believed to be the most decorated platoon in Marine history, the 3rd Platoon, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division. This platoon was made famous for its attack on Mt. Suribachi and for raising the first flag on the summit. He wrote a memoir about his command of and war time experiences entitled “Give Me Fifty Marines Not Afraid to Die: Iwo Jima”.  He was also featured in the History Channel production, Shootout! Iwo Jima: Fight To The Death.

Watch a portion of Shootout! Iwo Jima (warning: graphic battle scenes)
Shootout! Scene One (Wells begins at 5:36) | Shootout! Scene Two

This may be the only time that these three highly decorated Veterans will appear together in person as part of the full Hamner Barber Variety Show and the producers of the show, Dave Hamner and Jim Barber are so excited that they are inviting the community to attend the special show at an area-appreciation ticket price of only $5.00 (+tax). Discounted tickets are available to card carrying residents of Stone, Taney, Marion, Baxter, Barry, Greene, Christian, Lawrence, Polk, Webster, Carroll and Boone counties.

Free Event this Friday & Saturday

The theater also invites everyone to attend the “Hand-In-Hand” Branson honors Purple Heart Recipients events this Friday, April 24th and Saturday, April 25th from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. This exciting and free event is produced by Branson.com and Branson Tourism Center. Visit their website for more information on the various activities.

For reservations call 417-334-4363 or visit the box to purchase tickets beforehand. Seating may be limited.

Related Websites: www.HamnerBarber.com, www.Branson.com

This amazing production features of 35 different puppets, including several large six foot tall puppets. Featured characters are: Neon Leon, the Toobie Brothers, Dooey Wordsworth, and the Incredible Stretch-a-Bellies. The performance is for all ages, and admission is $10 per person or $25 per family, plus tax. For tickets call the theater box office at 417-334-4363 or order individual tickets online at www.HamnerBarber.com/tickets.htm.

The One Way Street Puppet Ministry Performance Team from Centenial, Colorado is touring seventeen states during it’s National tour, presenting over 30 different performances in churches, schools and conferences. The team is directed by Dale VonSeggen of Lone Tree, Colorado and Philip Haught of Lutz, Florida. Team members are Trent Black of Paris, Texas; JJ Graves of Papillion, Nebraska; Cory Spittler of Highlands Ranch, Colorado; Jenny Davis of Smith’s Falls, Ontario; and Emily Demerath of Montogery, Illinois.

Related Websites: OneWayStreet.com