Several years ago, my brother-in-law gave my wife an Andy Williams Christmas CD, recorded live from the Moon River Theater in Branson. He remembered his sisters singing along with Andy as their mother played his music on their stereo. My wife played this CD from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Day. Unfortunately that same year, I bought my wife a lamp for her November birthday, and I discovered that gifts which plug in or require batteries are not usually the most personal gifts from a husband. Wanting to get my wife the perfect gift, I learned that Andy Williams performs his Christmas show from the beginning of November through mid-December each year at the Moon River Theater in Branson. I purchased two tickets, getting her the ideal present.
Show times are 2pm and 7pm. Most other evening shows begin at 8pm, so I’m glad we double-checked the tickets. During the week of Thanksgiving and the last week of scheduled performances, only one show is scheduled per day. Andy does not offer a Sunday show. Moon River Theater sits smack in the middle area of Highway 76, the busiest stretch of roads through Branson. Fortunately, the parking lot has a back entrance off Green Mountain Drive and the parking lot connects with the Radison parking lot, so we bypassed the parking lot of cars on 76 by using the alternative routes. Even then we sat in a virtual standstill for a stretch on the back roads as people tried to reach Highway 76.
The open and large lobby area of the theater included a gift shop (naturally!), a regular concession stand and a separate section for wine and beer purchases. Seating started at 6pm, but we waited in the lobby and visited with Santa Claus who later appeared in the show. The stadium-style seating allowed excellent viewing from just about anywhere in the theater. People with wheelchairs and walkers received ample assistance from the theater employees so everyone was seated when the show began.
Andy’s performance was nearly identical to his Christmas shows of the past. He can still sing wonderfully. His voice gained strength as the performance progressed and he sang the "chestnut songs," that is, the songs that have improved over the years. He tap danced with the penguins and hopped along with the reindeer. He brought up children from the audience and sang two songs with them, letting them sing into the microphone. He even rapped to "Coming Down the Chimney Down." I did notice that he did move slower than years past and sat through a portion of his show. He mesmerized my wife.
After the fabulous show, we walked out of the theater with throngs of people. One gentleman tapped my wife on the forearm and said, "Besides all the children here, you must be the youngest person." My wife replied, "I think I am too, but I really loved his performance."