Entertainment
From singing servers to a mall with Bricktown ties, here’s what you have to see in Branson
BRANSON, Mo. — There’s more to this vacation destination in the heart of the Ozark Mountains than Silver Dollar City or Dolly Parton’s Stampede. Both are popular attractions, to be sure. Silver Dollar City was recently named America’stop theme park by USA Today, while Dolly Parton’s Stampede claims to be the world’s most visited dinner attraction.
But Branson is all about options, particularly when it comes to live entertainment. And there’s plenty to go around, from restaurant servers that double as singers to a Michael Jackson impersonator from Rhode Island dedicated to perfecting his craft. My family experienced both on a visit late last year.
At Reza Live Theatre on Highway 165, Michael Knight is on a mission to keep his idol’s musical legacy alive. Knight, 39, a native of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, portrays the late Jackson in “MJ The Illusion: ReLiving The King of Pop.” He performs multiple Jackson hits, including “Jam,” “Thriller,” Smooth Criminal,” and “Billie Jean” while encouraging audience participation throughout his two-hour show.
“We offer a real live concert experience,” he said. “We want you singing, we want you dancing, we want you to have fun.”
Knight, who is joined on stage by musicians and back-up dancers, engages fans by shaking their hands during the show and posing for pictures with them afterward.
Knight took lessons from former Jackson vocal coach Seth Riggs, and it shows when Knight is performing.
“With my show we are able to recreate something that I’ve always loved, and that’s Michael Jackson’s ‘Dangerous’ tour,” he said. “It’s very different than any other tribute shows that I’ve ever seen.”
Tickets are on sale now for when the show resumes in early March.
We encountered a different category of performer when we visited Mel’s Hard Luck Diner on the Branson Strip and Theater District, a 1950’s-style diner with singing servers nestled among 27 Grand Village shops.
Many are trying to get noticed or already perform in a Branson show, according to publicist Pamela Critchfield.
“This is one of the coveted, best jobs because they make really good tips and they get to sing and entertain people,” she said.
Our server, a young woman named Kaitlyn Bryant, was as sweet as they come and very helpful. She sang a song from her album “Butterflies.”
Bryant wasn’t the only family member singing on the night we ate there. She was joined by her mother, Kelly Bryant, a Branson music veteran who has performed throughout the city since 1982.
Critchfield’s husband, a commercial real estate developer, helped develop the concept for Branson Landing, a lakeside mall and boardwalk.
“He based parts of it on (Oklahoma City’s) Bricktown (Canal)” she said of the landing.
That’s where we ate dinner on our third night in town, devouring pizza, nachos and meatloaf at Bricktown Brewery.
After dinner, we stopped by Aquarium at the Boardwalk, which includes 250 different animal species and an original 5D submarine adventure to the bottom of the sea.
After that, my kids took a ride on the Branson Ferris Wheel. The giant wheel features 40 gondolas with room for 240 passengers and is decorated with 16,000 LED lights, which served as a picturesque backdrop to the setting sun.
On our last day in town, we decided to try Billy Gail’s Restaurant for breakfast before heading home to Norman.
Big mistake.
The home of the 14-inch pancake was packed and the wait was nearly two hours, so we changed our plans and drove to a little place called Coffee Creations on Animal Safari Road.
There were no pancakes on the menu, but the coffee and breakfast sandwiches did the trick. And the service at Coffee Creations, which “embraces inclusivity by empowering individuals with disabilities,” was great.
As always, Silver Dollar City was worth our time. The 1880s-style theme park carved out of the Ozarks features 40 rides and attractions, including the recently renovated Fire in the Hole — the largest indoor family coaster in this part of the country. Resident craftsmen demonstrate blacksmithing, glassblowing, pottery, furniture making and more.
We also visited White Water, Silver Dollar City’s waterpark attraction on the strip, which the kids loved because it was so hot and they got to ride every waterslide. We were fortunate to have a private cabana and our own server, Lilly, who didn’t sing, but she made sure we had plenty of cold drinks and tasty snacks.
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