The harsh coldness of January in the Ozarks didn’t deter the Hughes Brothers from kicking off their 2014 season performing “it” Wednesday night in Branson.
“We didn’t get much of a break between our Christmas shows and now,” said Ryan Hughes with a laugh. “We were working on the show, rehearsals and the fact we have a theater to run.
“But, we always get it together and have a lot of fun and excitement, especially around opening night.”
For the past 14 years, the brothers have owned and operated the theater, formerly owned by Roy Clark. Each member of the family has certain duties they are responsible for, from office work to the gift shop.
“Honestly, Jason (the director) probably has the toughest job because everyone has an opinion about what goes on the stage, even the kids,” Ryan Hughes said. “I do all the office work, and nobody is breaking my door down to discuss how I do paperwork.”
Ryan Hughes said Jason Hughes has the final say when it comes to the show, and how it’s put together.
For the first few months, the format will be essentially the same as last year, with a few surprises thrown in. As the season progresses, things will change at a more rapid pace.
“You never uproot a whole show because we have so many changes each year with just the kid’s sections, so we like to work on other things and add them in later,” Ryan Hughes said.
According to the director, there will be a few major changes coming soon.
“The last couple of years, we’ve sort of gone away from some of the more traditional things we’ve done in the past,” Jason Hughes said. “We plan on putting our country music section back in the show as well as a few other things we’d like to see.”
In addition to the country section and a few new Broadway tunes, the brothers are currently working on a few things they just weren’t ready to let out yet.
“We do have a few other things up our sleeve for the rest of the season,” Jason Hughes said. “But right now, they’re hard to explain — some comedy and new a capella stuff, but it’ll be a whole lot of fun.”
While the show will feature several new bits, a few changes had to be made because two of the older children won’t be performing in the show this season.
“My oldest son and Marty’s oldest son are both leaving to become ministers,” Jason Hughes said. “We are so proud of the both of them, but with them leaving, some of the younger kids can step up.”
With a family so large, Hughes said they have a “huge cabinet of weapons” to pull from for the show.
“Some of the younger kids don’t have the same strengths as the older kids, but they have other strengths,” Jason Hughes said.
He said featuring the children allows them to include more contemporary tunes in the show.
“We (the Brothers) do a few contemporary songs, but it works better with the kids,” Jason Hughes said. “Maybe Marty could get away with doing Cee-Lo Green though.”
Despite the fact the brothers perform music from more than six decades, family is the most important driving force behind the show, and that’s what the brothers would like to see people take from the time they spend together.
“I think if people come and see our show, they’ll leave feeling changed,” Jason Hughes said. “We like to give them an awesome experience, but we really hope they’ll want to pick up the phone and make a connection with their family after spending time with ours.”
For more information, visit itBranson.com
“We didn’t get much of a break between our Christmas shows and now,” said Ryan Hughes with a laugh. “We were working on the show, rehearsals and the fact we have a theater to run.
“But, we always get it together and have a lot of fun and excitement, especially around opening night.”
For the past 14 years, the brothers have owned and operated the theater, formerly owned by Roy Clark. Each member of the family has certain duties they are responsible for, from office work to the gift shop.
“Honestly, Jason (the director) probably has the toughest job because everyone has an opinion about what goes on the stage, even the kids,” Ryan Hughes said. “I do all the office work, and nobody is breaking my door down to discuss how I do paperwork.”
Ryan Hughes said Jason Hughes has the final say when it comes to the show, and how it’s put together.
For the first few months, the format will be essentially the same as last year, with a few surprises thrown in. As the season progresses, things will change at a more rapid pace.
“You never uproot a whole show because we have so many changes each year with just the kid’s sections, so we like to work on other things and add them in later,” Ryan Hughes said.
According to the director, there will be a few major changes coming soon.
“The last couple of years, we’ve sort of gone away from some of the more traditional things we’ve done in the past,” Jason Hughes said. “We plan on putting our country music section back in the show as well as a few other things we’d like to see.”
In addition to the country section and a few new Broadway tunes, the brothers are currently working on a few things they just weren’t ready to let out yet.
“We do have a few other things up our sleeve for the rest of the season,” Jason Hughes said. “But right now, they’re hard to explain — some comedy and new a capella stuff, but it’ll be a whole lot of fun.”
While the show will feature several new bits, a few changes had to be made because two of the older children won’t be performing in the show this season.
“My oldest son and Marty’s oldest son are both leaving to become ministers,” Jason Hughes said. “We are so proud of the both of them, but with them leaving, some of the younger kids can step up.”
With a family so large, Hughes said they have a “huge cabinet of weapons” to pull from for the show.
“Some of the younger kids don’t have the same strengths as the older kids, but they have other strengths,” Jason Hughes said.
He said featuring the children allows them to include more contemporary tunes in the show.
“We (the Brothers) do a few contemporary songs, but it works better with the kids,” Jason Hughes said. “Maybe Marty could get away with doing Cee-Lo Green though.”
Despite the fact the brothers perform music from more than six decades, family is the most important driving force behind the show, and that’s what the brothers would like to see people take from the time they spend together.
“I think if people come and see our show, they’ll leave feeling changed,” Jason Hughes said. “We like to give them an awesome experience, but we really hope they’ll want to pick up the phone and make a connection with their family after spending time with ours.”
For more information, visit itBranson.com
