Downtown Owens Theatre

Written by spcapes

My wife is a real Elvis fan. During the week we were in Branson we saw four different Elvis tributes. We saw both Elvis shows at the Owens Theatre. As we entered and noticed the small and intimate atmosphere, our expectations were not too high. However, we were amazed at the enthusiasm and talent of Dave Ehlert. He is a very good entertainer and has a wonderful voice. My wife liked the Elvis part but I liked the Roy Orbison songs best. I especially like Lallie Bridges who played the keyboard and sang several songs. She has a strong stage presence and sings like an angel. With a good agent and the right connections she could have her own show. She is beautiful and has a warmth that projects to the audience.

REVIEW: Owen's Theatre

Written by BobC

Much has been written on this and other forums about the Elvis Experience by dedicated fans who literally swoon over the star as if he were Elvis himself. I’ve seen the show and give credit where it is due; it is an excellent show. I do appreciate a wide variety of talent and that is why I believe Elvis and the Superstars is not getting the attention it deserves. Granted, the star of this show is older than the one on the strip - he was doing Elvis before the star of the other show was born. But Dave Ehlert still has it and with 40 years experience he’s probably better than ever. My wife and I saw his show and quite frankly we didn’t expect much. We were very pleasantly surprised. Dave has the sound and still has the moves. He also incorporates a key element of Elvis that the other show doesn’t have. He displays Elvis’ sense of humor. The other show does have its moments but not near the humor that Elvis had. Dave picks up on this and it is displayed throughout his show. It is obvious to the audience that Dave loves what he is doing and has fun with it.

Then another surprise - The superstars portion of the show was done by none other than Dave Ehlert. Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, Roy Orbison, and my favorite of the superstars, Neal Diamond, just to name a few, were all portrayed with perfection. The ability to change his voice and mannerisms to match that of these stars is uncanny. The mastery of his art, the ability to present these stars authentically and with ease, and with a sense of humor that relates to the audience makes it all the more real and entertaining. We bought the DVD and will be going back to see the show again very soon.

Then another surprise - We went to see the Hank and Patsy, Together Again show. There was Dave doing Hank Williams and Susan Hudson paying tribute to Patsy Cline. Dave did an excellent portrayal of Hank and again, his sense of humor had us in stitches throughout the show.

Then the biggest surprise - We went to see Take the Twain Ride. Samuel Clemens talks candidly with the audience about his life and adventures and of the talent of his friend, Norman Rockwell. This can’t be the same guy that does Elvis and all those other superstars - but it is. What a great show. My wife and I saw it on Wednesday and we went back the next Monday with our 18 year old grandson so he could see it firsthand. He enjoyed it as much as we did. Aside from laughing nonstop, this show was very educational. Dave presented Mark Twain, good side and not so good side, and gave us an interpretation of Norman Rockwell’s art that we hadn’t seen before. We grew up learning about these two great Americans but until we saw Take the Twain Ride, we really didn’t know anything about them. Thank you Mr. Ehlert. Not only does he deserve praise for the outstanding portrayal of Samuel Clemens, whoever put this show together and wrote the script also deserves credit for such a masterful job. I don’t know who wrote it but if someone told me it was Dave Ehlert I wouldn’t be at all surprised. This is a man of many talents.

These three terrific shows are all performed at the Owen’s Theater on Commercial Street in Downtown Branson. If someone told me that one person portrayed all these people I would have had serious doubts. I saw him for myself and highly recommend each of these shows to anyone who has an appreciation for great talent.

Bob Cort
Forsyth, MO