Shows - Branson Critic

Recently the family and I had an amazing, heart-warming experience that we will never forget. It was mid-April and the mother-in-law (Granny) mentioned that she’d “like to see that Kirby”. It just so happened that Granny’s 88th birthday was coming up in the middle of June, so an idea began to formulate. The rest of us had never had the opportunity to see the VanBurchs perform, so we (my husband, daughter, and myself) decided that would be a great way to celebrate and do the “family thing” for her special day.

I emailed the VanBurchs telling them we wanted to see their show. I explained about the special occasion and also about the special needs. When we take Granny anywhere, we have to take her in her wheelchair, so we require ‘handicap friendly’ accommodations. To my delighted surprise, Bambi replied almost immediately. Thus began our back and forth correspondence to finalize the arrangements.

Due to our work schedules, we have to do our outings on Saturdays or Sundays. So we were set to go on a Saturday night show. During the last of April and throughout May, it seemed like it wasn’t going to happen. We had company on two or three weekends. One weekend, Granny got too ill to go. On several of the Saturdays open, the daughter had to work late. The ‘special day’ was drawing closer and we couldn’t seem to get it together.

Finally, during the first week of June, I was able to call Bambi and leave a message that we would be able to make it on that Saturday, the 9th. I waited for a reply and by Friday evening we were getting pretty desperate. That afternoon (while I was at work), an email came from an administrator at BransonCritic saying that Bambi had been trying to get in touch with me. Unknown to me, my computer had whacked out and was not receiving messages through the BC site. I later found out that it had been sending various messages to the deleted items section. Also, being the Einstein that I am, I’d forgotten to leave Bambi my phone number!

At 11:30 that night, just after we’d gotten home from work, the phone rang. It was Bambi! Bless her heart–she’d managed to track me down. She said she had the arrangements set up for the next night. We were all thrilled!

Now, On With The Show!

It was Saturday evening June 9th, and the family was geared up to go see the Kirby VanBurch show. After having so many problems planning this evening, we were on pins and needles as we were getting ready to go. We were impatiently waiting for our daughter to get home from work so we could blast off. She finally arrived (having had to work later than expected) and actually got ready in good time, considering the length of time it normally takes her! Still, we were running late.

We had arranged to be at the theatre between 7 & 7:30 and didn’t leave the house till almost 7:30. However, we were able to make it by 7:50. I called Bambi during the drive and explained that we were running late but would definitely be there. She told me where we could park to have easy access into the theater with the wheelchair. We pulled in with few minutes to spare. There waiting to greet us was a gentleman who made himself readily available to help. He was kind enough to wheel Granny up to the door where a sweet, personable young lady waited to get the door.

At this point, I’d like to emphasize that we have never been treated with more respect, courtesy, and kindness. We were shown to our seats ( the end of the second row with a space for the wheelchair).

The show started with the emcee making the intros and announcements. As we sat there, I looked around. There was a fairly good crowd. The theatre and stage are ample and set up so that there is not a bad seat in the house. Even though we were sitting on the far right, we were still afforded a great view of the stage.

Following was one of the first-class, top of the line shows I’ve ever seen. One of the catch-phrases in the show is “How did he do that?” I found myself asking that several times during the performance. There were so many different illusions that had me “Oooo-ing” and “Ahhhh-ing”. I can’t possibly pick one favorite.

Kirby and Bambi are obviously passionate about their craft and just as much so about the big cats used during the show. This, I believe, is what sets them apart and above some of the other entertainers. There are levitations, disappearing acts, re-appearings, and people being sawed in half. Now, while the tricks themselves are “old hat”, Kirby and Bambi have some different twists in their magic performance.

At one point, Kirby was sawing two assistants in half. One young lady is dressed all in blue, one is dressed in red. It still amazes me that the body halves are apparently separated. You can see the toes moving on the bottom halves and the head and arms moving on the top halves. Okay, I’ve seen this trick before. However, when Kirby re-attaches his assistants, the one in the blue shirt winds up with the red shorts and vice versa. Hmmmm?

In another illusion, Kirby levitates Bambi–on a fountain of water. I found this to be beautifully done and still intent on wondering “How?” When she was again on her feet, you could see the water streaming from the back of her dress. I truly enjoyed getting to watch both magicians perform; Kirby and Bambi share the spotlight and are both accomplished award-winning magicians.

I found myself totally captivated by the beautiful cats during the show. Keeping in mind, that though they are ’pets’ of Kirby’s, they are still wild animals with primal instincts and it makes the show far more interesting. The staff maintains excellent control of the animals used. But it does give new meaning to the old song, “Hold That Tiger”!

There are several big cats seen during the show, but a few seem to stand out. We get to ‘meet’ a young lion, Merlin, who still seems to be rather playful. There is a beautiful black leopard. But, perhaps one of the most impressive is the awesome white Bengal tiger, Branson, who weighs in at over 800 pounds! We see him in an illusion where Kirby enters a cage, is covered up, and disappears to be replaced by his gorgeous cat.

There are other feats of magic, as well. There is a cool trick where Kirby rides a full sized motorcycle on the stage and drives into a cage. The cage is hoisted into the air. There is a minor explosion and a flash. The cage plummets to the floor and breaks open. Kirby miraculously appears in another cage on the floor.

There is an intermission about half-way through the show where you are able to purchase different types of memorabilia. Kirby has a magic dvd and other items including various sizes of stuffed white tigers. The proceeds from these sales go to help fund their Branson’s White Tiger Foundation. Check their website for more info on this worthy cause.

There is a lot of interaction with the audience which includes people of all ages. At one point, Kirby chooses one lucky young boy from the crowd and provides him with some gifts and a cherished memory that will last him a lifetime. We get to hear the stories from Kirby’s childhood and how he got involved in magic. Then he will so eloquently remind us that the only true magic is the miracles that come from God.

Following the amazing climax of the performance, which involves the materialization of a full-sized helicopter onstage, you get the opportunity to go backstage and take a tour of the dressing rooms and see the big cats up close. This is exciting and fun as well as informative and interesting. It’s the perfect way to end your incredible experience at the show.

All in all, it is a truly awe-inspiring show that I can’t recommend highly enough. It’s entertaining, exciting, thought-provoking, spell-binding, and just entirely fun. In short, it’s a wonderful way to spend an afternoon or evening. Once you see this show–you will want to go back. I’m definitely going to! And this time, I’m NOT waiting for someone’s birthday to come up!