Indeed, not only is this Show & Tell enthralling, we’ve enjoyed it without having to buy a ticket! So for the hometown Bransonites, Jimmy’s other long time fans and those who have traveled from all over the United States, we’re here reliving our own childhoods through Jimmy over his Long Haired Lover From Liverpool cover just beside the cheery, effervescent bubbles of a real Wurlitzer jukebox and the popping popcorn smells of the theater’s eatery. Here, with conversations between newly found friends discussing who’s got the better route through the Tuscarora Mountains, it looks like another Jimmy Osmond party is about to breakout. So if you’re ready let’s go in!

While the audience settles into its comfy chairs to be mesmerized by pre-show stimulus like huge balloons floating with swaths of colored light beside projection screens capturing essences of time, place and attitude, we can’t help but regress when a Country/Rock ‘n’ Roll quiz asks us who the bass player for the Beach Boys was? But as quickly as the question is asked, we’re off to another early-on past-time and some more vintage commercial footage featuring Rosie, ‘The Quicker-Picker-Upper’ and a Jack Gilford coveting someone else’s Cracker-Jacks. Yes, we’ve been segued right back to the days of vinyl records; to Paul Anka writing The Johnny Carson Show theme music and a Neil Sedaka climbing his Stairway to Heaven...‘cause heaven is where you are...and eventually hearing from the third row center, “Brian Wilson!”

For all of us here, right from the theater’s front door, we’ve knowingly entered into and through an interactive twilight zone where our past and present will now become our next two hours of future. In less than sixty seconds, the American Jukebox Show’s curtain will be opening to the illustrious career of Jimmy Osmond who, as the youngest of his brothers, has achieved on his own six gold records, one platinum record and two gold albums. And for those who might have lost count, it’s Jimmy and his brothers who have together performed over three thousand shows before two million people over a ten year span in Branson while having already been recognized as the prestigious Show of the Year. Selling over eighty million records and sharing forty-seven gold and platinum recordings, that’s just for starters. As introductory music sounds and lights dim, the audience feels truly honored to be in a theater where Jimmy’s life has all been practice right up to now.

AND NOW LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOUR HOST JIMMY OSMOND!
With the curtain rising on a barrage of song, choreography by the Flashback Dancers and vocabularies of stunning stage crafts, three ladies swoon to their awaited icon: Jimmy Osmond...and there he is. As applause swells beyond Jimmy’s, “Hello everybody. How ya doin,” he begins launching into his singular rendition of Dancin’ In the Streets with everyone joining in; clapping, singing, some stomping while dancing in their seats. Indeed, our party has begun and an audience’s collective pulse is climbing.

“I love doing this show ‘cause we get to re-visit America’s greatest music,” proclaims Jimmy. And so, as another large bubbling jukebox over-sees all from its upstage mark to do just that, Jimmy continues, “Ya know ladies and gentlemen, when I was a little boy, my mom used to play me the Big Band sounds of the 40s,” asking, “Ya like the 40s,” more applause resounds as Jimmy’s five year old son, Zachary James, enters from stage right to be the shining light into our musical sojourn to sing, Dream A Little Dream Of Me, and is followed by his eight year old sister and starlet, Sophia Michelle, singing a rollicking Chattanooga Choo-Choo.

After a cameo appearance from King Elvis and a stirring rendition of his Jailhouse Rock, it’s time for comedy, the good, clean, family kind, featuring Branson’s favorite ventriloquist and looney-tune in his own right, Ji-i-i-i-m Barber. With an act that just happens to be called, The Barber and Seville, Jim’s the first International Ventriloquist of the Year who allows his dummy to pull the strings....But wait, Jim is the dummy and Seville, well, as the clone of Jim, he’s a dummy too! Existential as it may all sound, it’s just one big long breath for Jim Barber; an accomplished singer and just one voice in a cast that includes ‘Baby,’ an infant rescued from a gym-bag found in the parking lot and ‘Chico Pete,’ a cute bug-eyed Mexican Chihuahua who becomes the king of the rumba beat as he goes, ‘chee-chee-co-boom, chee-chee-co-boom,’ every time Jim passes him a treat. Anyway, all will become clear when you get to see Jim and his entourage.

“That’s one sick man,” adds Jimmy Osmond over Mr. Barber’s audience applause and laughter. “Are ya havin’ fun?” “Yeah,” responds the audience in unison. So as Jimmy now introduces the husband and wife illusionist team with whom he had the privilege of working nine seasons ago at The Osmond Family Theater...The Magic of David and Denise Hamner rightfully takes its place on stage. As the amazing Mr. ‘D’ begins to fold his wife into an origami of nothingness, another ‘must see’ illusion has taken place inches in front of us leaving scrutineers absolutely awed. “How’d they do that?” asks Eleanor from Omaha, Nebraska, “I-doe-noe,” responds husband, Merle. In fact, The Hamners whole act is like that; materializing a gaggle of cockatoos, parrots and/or doves; setting them free to fly about the theater and our heads then ‘homing’ them back on stage to disappear from whence they came. Indeed, there’s no entertainment like it in Branson.

As Jimmy Osmond returns to the stage to explain how life is working out for him and his brothers, he comments, “So now all my brothers’ children are raised and they’re practically in a different city almost everyday, but they’re all back in town doing their own morning show at 9:30 am at the Country Tonite Theatre just down the road. I’m really excited about that and I’d be there with ‘um, but I can’t get up that early. We really do like Branson,” says Jimmy. “After the show, instead of going out on the road, I can go right home to my wife, Michelle, and be a daddy. That’s what’s important to me. As the audience applauds in agreement, Jimmy continues, “Ya know my wife, Michelle and I first came to Branson eleven years ago; fell so in love with it that we made Branson our home and had four beautiful babies right here in the Ozarks. All little hillbillies running ‘round and as ya saw two of ‘um earlier; Sophia and Zachary, I also have a red headed little boy named, Wyatt.” Almost three years old, Arthur Wyatt toddles from stage left to give Daddy Jimmy a glass of water, and of course an audience of “Ah-h-h-hs” exudes. “Oh hi son! Can you say hi to the audience?” “Hi!” says Wyatt bashfully. And with that, an entire audience responds in unison, “Hi Wyatt” with a gentle kind of coddling applause. “Thanks for bringing me some water, Wyatt, but I think you drank it all,” as Jimmy turns an empty glass upside-down. “Now say, ‘bye-bye,’ Wyatt.” ‘Ba-bye,’ meekly responds an already off-stage Wyatt. “He’s a great kid. Where the red hair came from, we just don’t know. We also have another cute little girl named Bella (Isabella Olive RaNae Osmond born February 2002). “So the Lord’s been very good to our little family and I’d like to dedicate my next song, Shine, off my new CD, Keep The Fire Burnin.
As Jimmy sings Shine, and his family album of personal photos is projected, it becomes obvious that what we’re seeing on stage is just a modicum of the Jimmy Osmond the rest of the world has come to know and appreciate. Indeed, Jimmy, as a member of the National Board of Governors for the Children’s Miracle Network, an organization founded by The Osmond Foundation, Jimmy has already assisted in raising over 1.5 billion dollars. Appointed to the Governor’s Select Panel on Tourism for the State of Missouri and also having been honored by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans Jimmy takes his place with past recipients, John F. Kennedy and Gerald Ford.
Jimmy’s story continues as his entrepreneurial projects include his production companies that have produced over eleven hundred hours of theatrical films, made for Television Movies and Specials, music videos, along with commercials and industrial videos for major United States and international corporations. Most recently, Jimmy served as executive producer on the ABC television movie, Inside the Osmonds, and has just entered into an agreement with Warner Brothers to develop new programming. Jimmy has also been asked by the Chinese Government to serve as Live Entertainment Producer/Consultant for Chinese live presentations in the United States as well as producing live entertainment shows for China.
So with audiences watching Jimmy ‘shine’ at his brightest on stage, Jimmy takes a moment to share his childhood as the youngest of eight brothers and one sister. “You can imagine how many hand-me-downs I must have received over the years. Quite frankly, Marie’s never did me any good, nor did Donny’s purple socks. Oh by the way, have you seen Donny’s new Pyramid Show,” remembering when Donny flew all the way to see his American Jukebox Show , says Jimmy, “All my brothers are supportive that way; my whole family’s that way and we’re very blessed.” As another kind of hand-me-down, Donny suggested to Jimmy that for those who remember the Osmond Family and Donny and Marie television shows, that Jimmy bring back memories with the next number in the show.

So bringing on-stage Babette Young, Branson’s Female Singer of the Year, a perfect Donny and Marie duet is formed as Jimmy and Babette launch into beautifully harmonized renditions of, I’m a little bit Country and “I’m a little bit Rock n’ Roll...followed by the elaborate stylings of Crocodile Rock, Workin’ Nine to Five, The Heart of Rock n’ Roll, Jimmy’s Proud Mary while returning us back down to earth with their original theme. With wall-to-wall Flashback Dancers backing the fast paced exultation of music, Jimmy remarks, “It’s a good time to fasten your seat belts!”

TAKING US FURTHER BACK IN TIME
Still our journey continues as Jimmy brings us back to the days of Hot Rods, fuzzy dice, Beatlemania, a Bunch of Bradys and as Jimmy says, “to even when Dick Clark used Clearasil.” It’s the sixties; ‘a Déja vu all over again!’ But first, with the help of Flashback dancer, A. J. Heard, and a music bridge of My Boyfriend’s Back, Jimmy prepares to perform a magic trick that will not only twist Ms. Heard into a pretzel but sets up Chubby Checker’s, The Twist. Even an unsuspecting audience member is recruited to help sing These Boots Were Made For Walking with a tightly vibratoed Kelly Wiegand followed by Jimmy taking us on a Beach Boy surfin’ safari of, ‘Round-round-getta-around, I getta-around.’ However, Stopped in the Name of Love by a Pretty Woman walkin’ down the street, who makes you Wanna Hold Her Hand and Shake It Up Baby...Jimmy gives an audience member (Cathy) her big chance to dance solo and another star to be born! With Jimmy’s perfectly matched falsetto giving us a perfect rendition of, Big Girls Don’t Cry, he adds, “Eat your heart out Michael Jackson,” we all take opportunity to join in while riding in Jimmy Webb’s Beautiful Balloon just like the Fifth Dimension did in the late 60s.

So with Sly Stone’s Dance To The Music of 1969 Woodstock fame, we know we’re rounding the bend into the 70s, Dancin’ Donna Sommer’s Last Dance while Shakin our Booties again to K.C. and the Sunshine Band’s more contemplative sound of That’s The Way, a-huh, a-huh, I Like It a-huh, a-huh. Traveling along with Jimmy’s rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition through to Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly sung by the gifted Babette and back into Jimmy’s falsetto for the Bee Gee’s Stayin’ Alive. Now, it’s the audience’s turn to participate ‘cause it’s time to stay at the YMCA. And with Jimmy’s audience doing an all out, ‘hands in the air’ sing-along, we’re no longer just at a party but a ride to the Village People’s YMCA.
If that’s not enough, here comes the fun of Mike Bliss, comedian, Flashback dancer, uni-cyclist ‘extraordinaire’ and the show’s own afable kleptomaniac. Indeed, as Mike invites an unsuspecting audience member on stage to hoist him onto his one-legged bike, Mike thanks you by stealing your wrist-watch, wallet, belt and anything else he can pilfer without you even knowing it.”Otherwise,” as Mike says, “Ya don’t get squat!”

So as Jim Barber returns to the stage to be a better Austin Powers than Austin Powers and Babette and Jimmy continue their sojourn through the 80s and 90s and salute America’s veterans with octave ranges that make us all want to sing. The Flashback Dancers, Ken Brown, Kelly Wiegand, Mike Bliss, A. J. Heard, Shannon Lavin, Brent Oplotnik and Christi Campbell will keep-on emulating the distinctive choreographies that made each decade of the last sixty years special. BR

For ticket information, call Jimmy Osmond’s American Jukebox Show at 417 336 6100 or if you prefer, go online at www.osmondfamilytheater.com. The theater is located at 3600 West Highway 76.