By Dave Woods
dwoods@joplinglobe.com
BRANSON, Mo. — It’s a long way from working vacation resorts in the Catskill Mountains of New York to entertaining crowds on Table Rock Lake’s Showboat Branson Belle, but it’s a journey Christopher James said he’s glad he made.
“It’s a great time,” the singer, dancer, writer, comedian and magician explained. “You could not ask for a nicer office to work in.”
The best part? “I have a captive audience every day,” James said.
And by “captive,” he means that unless they’re good swimmers, they ain’t going anywhere.
Almost every day at noon for the last three years, James has entertained and interacted with the crowds who cross the gangway to cruise aboard the Ozarks’ original floating theater, The Showboat Branson Belle.
‘You will be my show’
James, a self-described “variety entertainer,” said that he still gets excited every time he takes the stage. Not only does he welcome the crowd and get them prepared to hit the lake, he fields questions from the audience, lends his voice to a song or two, emcees the showboat’s Broadway-style musical review, weaving it together with witty one-liners and what seems like an endless supply of “dam” jokes.
He seems to love the face time he gets with the crowded house of hungry tourists, too. Working with audience members on stage seems to be his favorite parts of the show.
“I never know what to expect from them. Sometimes it’s serious and the questions are hard, and sometimes it’s just joke, joke, joke ... you never know. It’s all interactive and unrehearsed.
“You won’t just see my show, you will be my show.”
Broadway style
On board the Belle, the show starts as soon as you walk into the showroom. The showboat’s waiters and waitresses get the audience up on its feet and ready to eat. The Showboat’s band, The Castaways, keep the crowd entertained while it finishes its entrees and move on to dessert. When diners finish their meals, James invites them to take a stroll on the decks above that provide a great view of Table Rock Lake and the many new developments that dot its shoreline.
After a few minutes of fresh air and sightseeing, the crowd is signaled to return to its seats, and the variety show begins.
The high-energy matinee performance includes dozens of familiar songs, audience-interactive comedy, a straight-jacket escape routine and acrobats suspended from the showroom’s ceiling, flying above the audience’s heads. The show concludes, as many Branson spectacles, do with a patriotic flourish: “A Tribute to America” is narrated by the late John Wayne. The end of the show is punctuated by an explosion of red, white and blue confetti and streamers that cover the audience.
‘Everything was perfect’
As the showboat docked after a recent performance, Daniel and Monica Darce, from Aurora, Ill., said they were glad they decided to hop aboard the Belle.
“It was what we wanted,” Monica, 32, offered as she debarked the paddlewheel-powered boat. “The comedian was the best. We loved it. It was well worth the price of admission. Everything was perfect.”
Carolyn Grider, a 73-year-old grandmother from Kansas City, said she also enjoyed the experience.
“This is great fun ... the food was excellent and served well,” she said. “The young people are having such a good time today. It’s nice to see.”
Want to go?
For ticket and show information go to www.showboatbransonbelle.com.
Branson Belle By the numbers
278-foot length
720 guests seated
7.5-foot draft at the keel
6 musicians
4 singer/dancers
1 emcee/host
10 knots (12 mph) top speed
10,500 gallon septic tank on board
38 feet from floor to ceiling in the showroom
3 levels inside the showroom
2.5-hour lake cruise and show
313 tables in the dining room
18 months to build the showboat
2.5-hour guided tour of Table Rock Lake
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<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/extra.gif" border=0> 'I have a captive audience' <font color="#ff0000"> w/ links to Christopher James video and Showboat Branson Belle ticket info </font>
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