Dallas Moms Blog was provided complimentary tickets to the Showboat Branson Belle & Jonah at Sight & Sound Theater in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.
Leading up to our Explore Branson vacation, there were two stops on our weekend itinerary that made me nervous traveling with a 3 year old and 18 month old. One was a Broadway-like production of Jonah and the other was a dinner cruise on the Branson Belle.
How on earth was I going to keep two babies entertained during 2 two hour shows at the end of very long days?
It took some serious mental retraining of the way I parent, but I decided what ever would be would be. Worst case scenario we’d spend the whole night walking around the boat or walking around a lobby–either way I wasn’t going to stress!
But of course I was. . .
Showboat Branson Belle
It quickly became apparent that I had no reason to worry. The Branson Belle didn’t leave any room for our boys to get bored; it was non-stop entertainment!
The Showboat Branson Belle is a two hour dinner cruise on Table Rock Lake, but don’t let the term “two hours” fool you. The time will fly by for both you and your children!
From the moment you walk onto the boat, you’re ushered to your seats and within a few minutes a waiter is there greeting you with a pitcher of sweet iced tea.
Drinks arrived for our boys, and within five-ten minutes they started bringing out the first course (an iceburg lettuce salad) and that was quickly followed by the entree (Slow-simmered Beef Roast and Honey-Dijon Glazed Chicken with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Sugar Snap Peas with Julienne Carrots). But really sealed the deal for our boys was the ice cream pie drizzled in caramel sauce with a side of gummy bears.
While we were eating dinner, Christopher James kept us entertained with his family-friendly magic and comedy act. He also emcee’d for the evening and kept the laughs going between shows.
We were allowed a little break while the crew cleared up dessert. It was during this time we explored the boat and watched as motor boats and jet ski’s passed by.
When we returned, the acts got started right away with upbeat, modern music from The ShowMen! My boys danced away to songs like Happy by Pharrell and Life is a Highway (Cars Theme Song) by Rascal Flatts.
The headlining act was Janice Martin—the world’s only violin-playing aerialist, vocalist and multi-instrument musician. Her performances were incredible, and even captivated my 18th month old throughout the entire show.
This exciting production is in its final year, so if you’re interested in booking tickets on the Showboat Branson Belle to see Janice Martin, visit http://www.silverdollarcity.com/showboat-branson.aspx.
Jonah at Sight & Sound Theatres
If you’re a fan of the theater, you must see a show at Sight & Sound Theatres! Each year they provide incredible productions that “Bring the Bible to Life;” shows like Daniel, In the Beginning, and Noah. Their most recent production is Jonah.
The journey of Jonah, a faithful, righteous prophet of God, begins when he disobeys God and runs away from the Lord. His adventure takes him through a terrible storm, an encounter with an enormous fish, his new life in a wicked empire and the struggles he faces through what becomes the greatest revival in history.
While I knew this show would be incredible, was it appropriate for my boys?
The stress came back when I discovered our seats were on the inside of a row. Great seats! But not great when you know you may have to get up and down at least 10 times.
I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when I approached an usher with our situation and he pointed up the stairs to a Family Room. On each side of the theater was a private, sound proof room with a two-way mirror to be able to watch the show and hear the audio through stereo.
I’d be lying if I said we didn’t spend 85% of our time in that room. While my husband was rocking our youngest to sleep, my three year old and I snuck out of the room and to the back row where we watched the rest of the show. Ideally we’d love to have been watching this incredible production from our original seats, but I was so thankful for this theater to have accommodations available that made it work for us!
So was the show child friendly? Absolutely!!
While the script and content may have been over their heads, the scenes and music were so well done and colorful it kept us captivated. Jonah not only used every inch of the main stage, but opened up the curtains on the sides to reveal a wrap-around stage on the sides of the theater! Several times during the show, characters and animals (both real and imaginative) made their way out into the audience. Yes, they used real animals–including a YAK!
I don’t want to spoil the show for you, but my favorite moment was when Jonah was cast into the sea and the entire stage (and audience) transformed into an underwater experience. Jellyfish dropped from the sky and HUGE sea creatures began transforming the room. It was truly amazing!
To learn more about Jonah, make sure to visit their website! The show runs through December 31, 2014 and you can buy your tickets here.
Disclosure: Dallas Moms Blog was provided complimentary tickets to the Showboat Branson Belle & Jonah at Sight & Sound Theater in exchange for this review. All opinions are 100% my own.
