REVIEW - Grand Ladies at the new God & Country Theatre

Written by BobC

“Classic”: serving as a standard of excellence; of recognized value. Historically memorable. Authentic, authoritative.

“Classic” is the best word I can find to describe the stars, the music, and the overall entertainment provided on opening night of the Grand Ladies in their new show at the God & Country Theatre. Pretty Miss Norma Jean, Leona Williams, and Jody Miller sang their music and talked about highlights in their careers during the first half of the show. They all appeared together during the second half, took questions from the audience and sang special requests. You would think this would put them on the spot and stump them, or the band, but we’re talking about “classic” artists here. They had fun interacting with the audience and the audience had fun watching how these professionals handled it. It’s no wonder they have endured in the entertainment world for as long as they have; they are the real deal. They opened their hearts to the audience and everyone in the house appreciated the honest, genuine character of each of these ladies and we all had a great time. There were plenty of laughs throughout the show; some jokes and some self-deprecating humor gave a smooth flow to the program and a keen insight as to what makes these ladies classic professionals.

Murphy’s Law says if anything can go wrong it will, especially on opening night. There were opening night moments but the way the glitches were handled just demonstrated why these ladies are what they are. It takes a pro to smooth out rough edges so they appear to be scripted. In fact, for most of glitches we wouldn’t have known if the stars hadn’t told us so we could all share the inside humor.

The band, directed by David Byrd on piano, is simply great. Each member of the band is a master of their art. Barry Bales on lead guitar, Chuck Landry on drums, Wade Landry on fiddle, Mark Abbot on bass, and Steve on the steel (sorry I didn’t get Steve’s last name). They handled on-the-spot requests with perfection. In fact someone requested, “Down Yonder.” David Byrd gave an outstanding instrumental performance of the song. It’s no wonder he is such demand around here.

The theatre: Some have wondered how the new theatre was coming along since the new owners have taken over. I had a look around the theatre yesterday afternoon and was greatly impressed. New paint does wonders but the renovations to this theatre go far beyond a great paint job. There are now two auditoriums in the building; one 450 seats, and another with 140 seats. The large auditorium has a large, expanded stage with plenty of room. Both auditoriums feature new sound and lighting systems. In between the auditoriums, in what was once another small theatre, is a large open space for staging and also office space and dressing rooms. This area has direct access to the stages on each side. Seating for the audience is outstanding. Soft reclining chairs provide excellent comfort and the space between rows makes it easy to get past folks to get to the seats in the middle of the row. This extra space also makes for great leg room. The lobby area is large, clean, and uncluttered. Restrooms are also modern, clean, and fresh. I don’t know how old the building is but when you walk into the theatre there is an air of freshness; like walking into a newly built home.

Most Branson visitors have seen the God & Country Inspirational Gardens on 76. The tender loving care that Dick and Dawn Easton put into the creation of that park is the same type of care that has gone into the renovation of the God & Country Theatre.

When I walked into the theatre yesterday to pick up my tickets there was some guy on the roof working on lighting to illuminate the flagpole. I later found out the guy on the roof, and doing all the renovating around the theatre, was the new owner, Dick Easton. He introduced himself and we talked for several minutes. He took the time to show me around the place. Talk about class; Dick Easton is a talented and God loving, American patriot who we would all want to have as our neighbor. I’m glad Dick and Dawn Easton selected Branson as their home. Just look at what they’ve done!