The Rankin Brothers are performing at the Caravelle Theatre, conveniently located on the Branson strip. Photo courtesy of Caravelle Theatre
Last night we attended our first show in Branson – The Rankin Brothers Classic Music Review at the Caravelle Theatre. How did we happen to choose this show from a dozen choices within a mile of our home at Shenanigans RV Park? It chose us!
Thursday we made the rounds of nearby theaters to submit applications for part-time work. When we stepped up to the box office at the Caravelle Theatre, a lovely older woman with a warm, sweet smile and twinkling eyes was standing alongside the ticket seller. David told the two women our story about work camping at the RV park through August and looking for part-time work. While the ticket seller took our resumes, the older woman invited us to come to the show for free. Delighted by the generous offer, we said “We’ll see you Friday night!”
As we stepped up to the box office last night, I couldn’t help but wonder if the tickets would really be there for us. (There I go again, doubting the good that comes into my life!) The woman at the box office remembered us and asked for the spelling of our name so she could find the reservation on the database. When David asked who the woman was who invited us, she said, “She’s the performers’ mother.”
The show was fun, professional, with great musical performances laced with rib-tickling humor. Midway, they did a tribute to veterans – something, we’ve been told, most Branson shows do – and a moving gospel song. I kept being amazed at how many songs I knew the words to, including Buddy Holly tunes that date to when I was in grade school. The time range of the classic music review stretched from Holly to Springsteen.
Before the show and at intermission, people sitting in front and behind us struck up conversations. They were local, enjoying the benefit of “area appreciation,” when locals can attend many of the shows for $8 or $10. They generously shared insider tips. One commented, “Branson is a place you can take your kids and your grandparents; it’s a Christian town.” And he invited us to his church.
At intermission, we caught sight of the Rankin Brothers’ mother, introduced ourselves and thanked her for inviting us to this delightful show. She was as sweet, charming and friendly then as when we met her.
The Rankin Brothers’ Classic Music Review whet our appetite to see more shows in Branson – and there are lots of them! We’re going to have an entertaining six months!
