BRANSON, Missouri – You would be hard pressed to find a more energetic show than the Hughes Music Show.
Or a bigger family.
The Hughes’ have been dubbed, “the world’s largest performing family.”
This fast-paced, family friendly, show started 38 years ago and has been in Branson for 25 years.
It’s takes that many years to “assemble the cast,” one of the brothers joked.
Their calling card is they were “born to entertain.”
The four Hughes brothers – Marty (the oldest), Ryan, Jason and Adam – anchor the entertainment but they get a great assist from their talented wives and a host of kids – about 30 (and at least one more is on the way.) Marty and his wife Cindy (who sings and dances) have 15 children and all are in the show. The fifth brother moved to California and is no longer in the show. By the way, Andy’s wife Becky and Ryan’s wife Carina are sisters. Both ladies sing and dance in the show.
They sing, they dance, they tell jokes. A bunch of the kids play the fiddle and they play it very well during a special number that includes a complicated dance routine.
The whole family performs a set of favorite movie musical tunes. The four brothers sing a powerful rendition of Stars from the musical Les Miserables.
The brothers are very talented vocalists.
Like most Branson shows, the Hughes Family includes some patriotic numbers and they give veterans, active service members and first responders special recognition during the show.
What is remarkable besides the obvious musical talent is the precision and timing of this show. Trying to get that many kids to manage their lines, their marks and their constant costume changes is a gigantic task.
Yet the Hughes Family pulls it off with a big smile on everyone’s face. (Although one of the little boys looked a little wild on the final number.)
The Hughes family is from Utah and they are Mormons. In Branson, they have received several awards at the Branson Entertainment Awards Gala, including Branson’s “Tradition Award,” “Branson’s Best Morning Show Award” and “Branson’ s Best Vocal Group Award.”
A big step for the brothers was to purchase and open their own theatre, the Hughes American Family Theatre (which is also home to SIX – six brothers who sing without the use of any instruments).
There’s a Tulsa connection to the theater. The late Roy Clark in 1983 opened the Roy Clark Celebrity Theatre in Branson. It was a landmark event as Clark, who lived in Tulsa, became the first country music star to have his own theater in Branson. Clark, the star of Hee Haw, played in Branson during the 1980s and 1990s.
You can go early and make eat dinner at the theater before the show at the Celebrity Dinner Theatre ($18.95 for adults, $9.95 for kids up to age 11). The Saturday night menu includes a salad, roasted pork, a chicken breast topped with a delicious ratatouille, new potatoes, green beans and a roll. You get chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream and raspberries for dessert.
You have to make a dinner reservation by 3 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show.
One of the Hughes sons was our waiter during the dinner, which is a testimony to the work ethic of the Hughes Family and the cohesiveness of their relationships.
You can also dine at the Celebrity Bistro that serves sandwiches, wraps, soup, salad and fruit smoothies.
The Hughes Music Show goes through October and the Hughes Brothers Christmas Show is November 1 through December 30. The schedule is detailed but basically it’s every day but Sunday. The family has a Thanksgiving show at 10 a.m. November 28 and a New Year’s Eve show that begins at 9 p.m.
This is good, family entertainment that will please the young and the old in the audience. And, like almost all of the Branson shows, there’s no worry about off-color comedy or inappropriate actions.
Hughes Brothers Schedule
October
- Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays – 2 p.m.
- Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays – 8 p.m.
November
- Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays – 2 p.m.
- Tuesdays, Thursdays – 10 a.m. + 8 p.m.
- Fridays (8, 15, 22, 29) – 7:30 p.m.
- Saturdays (plus Nov. 26, 27) – 8 p.m.
- Thanksgiving November 28 – 10 a.m.
December
- Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays – 2 p.m.
- (Excluding December 23-26)
- Friday, December 27 – 8 p.m.
- Monday, December 30 – 8 p.m.
- Tuesdays, Thursdays – 8 p.m.
- (also 10 a.m. on December 3, 5)
- Saturdays – 8 p.m.
- New Year’s Eve – 9 p.m.