Backstage Pass with Victoria- Grand Country Music Hall

Nestled within the bustling, widely acclaimed Grand Country Resort (which has been widely lauded by guests and media outlets alike as a “Cruise Ship on Land”), Grand Country Music Hall is your one stop shop for a dazzling array of world class shows of almost every imaginable genre…all under one roof! 

Featuring a rotating line up of productions nearly every day of the week, even performing on most major holidays, Grand Country prides itself on offering a diverse assortment of top notch entertainment, featuring key performers that audiences have grown to know and love since the theater’s very inception including Grand Country’s resident House Band, The Rhinestone Mafia, as well as the wildly entertaining comics and performers, Jamie Haage (as Jim Dandy) and Mike Patrick, known far and wide as one of the most illustrious emcees and show producers in all of Branson. 

The Backstage Pass Team, after a couple year’s hiatus from our previously established annual excursions to Branson, was elated by the opportunity to return and highlight Grand Country Music Hall’s outstanding line up of shows for the 2025 Holiday Season. 

See below the stellar line up of productions we highlighted during our visit and some inside scoop regarding what to expect during your upcoming visit: 

PETS AND GIGGLES 

This dynamic, action packed, brand new show at Grand Country Music Hall marked our first visit to the theater’s roster of shows, and we celebrated Christmas night along with a packed theater full of families, filled with the Christmas spirit and eagerly anticipating the fun-filled nearly two hour long entertainment extravaganza which lay ahead. 

The show kicked off to a rousing start with the “giggles” portion of the show, featuring the relentlessly high energy cast, including Asher, Jordan, and Zane, who bring superb comedic timing and zany enthusiasm to every single moment of the fast-paced show. 

If you or your child have ever dreamt of starring in a live production, Pets and Giggles is the perfect opportunity to do so, as audience interactivity is an integral part of the show’s format. Numerous volunteers are summoned during various portions of the show including a laugh out loud funny segment featuring a “Kung Foo Challenge” with an array of pint sized audience members, “Going Fishing” where audience volunteers did their best respective “flopping fish” impressions, a Porcelain throne segment all about (you guessed it) family friendly “potty humor”, and a lively game of corn hole . 

Legendary performer Todd Oliver (as seen on top stages and entertainment outlets throughout the United States and on the television competition series, America’s Got Talent) took the stage with his world renowned “talking dog” , a lovably droll, scene- stealing Boston Terrier named Irving. Oliver, regarded as one of the most highly innovative and skilled ventriloquists of his time, engages in clever banter with his sidekick, playfully riffing on the audience at times and hilariously improvising for an act you truly must see in order to believe. 

Following the approximately 15 minute intermission, Oliver returns for more spellbinding entertainment, this time incorporating his magic and illusion skills (for which he is also world renowned) including a portion of the show where a beautiful bird seemingly appears from nowhere, subsequently vanishing again, right before the audience’s very eyes. Additional stand-out moments from Oliver include an act where a wide eyed and incredulous volunteer pulled a rabbit from a hat in real time and a heartwarming performance of the song “Man’s Best Friend”, celebrating the unparalleled friendship and loyalty we receive from our canine companions. 

The talented cast of performers recruit many more volunteers of all ages and backgrounds during more portions of the show, including an entire family who happened to be wearing coordinated Christmas attire, an entertaining and charismatic husband and wife duo who engaged in a competitive bout of “Marital Trivia”, a “Dance Off/Obstacle Course Challenge” where several grown men in the audience channeled their inner child whilst showing off their greatest moves. 

Playful, undeniably fun, and interactive, this family friendly show is bound to keep you smiling from ear to ear throughout! 

COMEDY JAMBOREE 

Acclaimed by critics and audiences alike as one of the funniest shows in all of Branson MO, Comedy Jamboree is widely known for its high-energy mix of comedy, music (country, gospel, and pop), and impersonations, featuring a cast of comedians and musicians performing classic hits and original material in a completely family-friendly setting. Featuring a plethora of genres including country, gospel, pop music, and much more, the Comedy Jamboree highlights a vast array of talented performers, comics, musicians, and dancers, all coming together to form a full scale production which is sure to be one of your favorite shows on the bustling world famous “76 Country Blvd.” 

The show’s format features a holiday themed twist opening with the lovably impish “Little boy that Santa Claus Forgot” portrayed by Branson Comedy legend, Jamie Haage (who can be seen in this show and many others at the Grand Country Music Hall performing as his alter ego, “Jim Dandy”) and a hilariously irreverent rendition of the campy 1944 classic “Baby It’s Cold Outside”, performed with style, charisma and aplomb by the singers/dancers of the Comedy Jamboree along with the help of an audience volunteer. 

This high octane and hilarious show is sure to set your holiday spirits soaring high with an array of Christmas favorites inspired by some of your favorite films , including the 1980’s Chevy Chase holiday classic, Christmas Vacation, and a revamped redo of the instantly recognizable Wham! smash hit “Last Christmas.” 

The Comedy Jamboree bears a striking resemblance to some of the nostalgic comedy masterpieces of yesteryear such as 1970’s /1980’s era Saturday Night Live, and improvisation is an integral element of the show’s format featuring much audience interactivity, suggestions from the nearly packed house, and parodies that will keep you and your entire family in stitches. 

Additional Christmas themed portions of the show include a reading of the Nativity Story, a bouncy and fun Christmas tune entitled “King of Kringle”, and the instantly recognizable holiday classic “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home.) 

The “Comedy” portion of Comedy Jamboree brings wildly original, uproariously funny comedic content including a condensed retelling and parody of the Home Alone franchise, a crazed Grand Country Music Hall “Superfan” (aka: one of the comics hilariously decked out in drag as an unhinged groupie who runs on stage and comes on a bit too strong toward the performers), and a segment where audience suggestions are pulled from a jar and selected by the performers to be read aloud to the live audience (for example, one of the selected cards read as follows: “What is a food that kills intimacy?” Answer:Wedding Cake.) 

Additional stand out moments include a segment entitled “Fake News Network” (reminiscent of the iconic Weekend Update institution on Saturday Night Live) featuring the hilariously irreverent “Dipthong The Elf” and Andy Parks bringing side splitting laughs as the “Cajun Weatherman”, whose bayou drawl greatly overshadows any weather forecasting as random fish and alligators fly through the air throughout this hysterically funny broadcast. 

All masters within the field of improvisation, the actors bring up volunteers during numerous portions of the show, including, but not limited to, a segment where a couple men were called up on stage and given various words, which were subsequently incorporated into a comedic scene, a couple named Brandon and Melissa who were summoned to act out their first date, and a volunteer named Kyler from Texas who was afforded the opportunity to star in his very own game show entitled “The Grand Game.” 

A section of the show dedicated to a variety of top television shows spanning the decades is sure to have you feeling nostalgic and walking down memory lane with tributes to The Muppets, Scooby Doo, Friends, Bad Boys, Hannah Montana, and even SpongeBob SquarePants. 

Always unabashed in their unwavering patriotism, the Comedy Jamboree closes out their show with a rousing round of applause to all attending veterans and a tribute to the red white and blue with a beautiful performance of “God Bless the USA.”

GRAND JUBILEE 

Lauded by fans and media outlets alike as one of Branson’s most entertaining shows, Grand Jubilee is celebrating its 23rd year in production! Anchored by New South and The Rhinestone Mafia, Grand Country’s signature production pulls out all the stops—year after year! Regularly honored with multiple awards, including Evening Show of the Year, this fan-favorite continues to earn top recognition from fellow entertainers and visiting guests alike.

Action packed, high octane, and filled to the brim with non stop entertainment, Grand Jubilee features all your favorite variety and musical acts with an exciting array of Christmas favorites mixed in for the holiday season. 

This nearly two hour entertainment spectacular kicks off to a festive start with the Christmas classic “Sleigh Ride”, and an introduction to the cast, all decked out in their holiday best, including Jackie Brown, Luke Maynard, Mike Patrick, Jamie Hagee, the widely acclaimed Rhinestone Mafia Band (who provides the soundtrack to all of the house shows at Grand Country Music Hall), as well as New South Gospel, a dynamic quartet bringing to life all of your favorites Gospel hits you have grown to know and love throughout the decades. 

Grand Jubilee’s longtime principal female vocalist, Jackie Brown, performs numerous holiday favorites which are sure to get you in the Christmas spirit including Frosty the Snowman and Brenda Lee’s Rocking Around the Christmas Tree. A rendition of Blue Christmas in the signature, instantly recognizable, pitch perfect tone of Willie Nelson brings the audience to uproarious applause, and just a few many other holiday favorites include a soothing, peaceful performance of Silent Night by New South, Jingle Bell Rock, a rousing rendition of Carol of the Bells, featuring the diverse talents of the Rhinestone Mafia, and a stunning performance of, one of the -arguably-most famous Christmas songs of all time dating back to the 1800’s, O Holy Night. 

Jaime Haage (in his signature character as “Jim Dandy”) tells a heartwarming Christmas story of “Conrad the Beggar” , a tale centered around the transformative power of generosity and kindness, and each respective cast member brings a special element to the show, filling the air with a palpable sense of holiday wonderment. 

The standard format of the show features a wide variety of musical genres including toe tapping performances of the 1968 Steppenwolf smash hit, Born to Be Wild, I Heard it Through the Grapevine by legend, Marvin Gaye, a poignant performance of The Beatles’ Let It Be, and Bonnie Tyler’s passionate hit song from the blockbuster “Footloose”, Holding Out for a Hero. 

One of the true crowd favorites which (quite literally) gets the entire audience up on their feet dancing is “YMCA” by the Villiage People, featuring the talented cast of New South, and just a few of the additional dizzying array of crowd favorites brought to life in this full force 2 hour show includes the relentlessly upbeat Joy to the World (Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog), ZZ Top’s Sharp Dressed Man, and an interactive performance of Hey Jude which had the entirety of the audience singing right along. 

Many of the tremendously talented principal performers in the Grand Jubilee are also remarkably skilled instrumentalists, and Grand Country’s “Golden Boy” (Voted Emcee and Show Producer of the Year many times by a variety of media outlets and award shows), Mike Patrick wows the audience with an impossibly fast paced performance of Jerry Lee Lewis’s chart topper “Great Balls of Fire” while Jim Dandy impresses with his banjo skills. 

The comic relief portions of the show include an uproariously funny impression of Sonny and Cher by the dynamic duo of Patrick and Dandy, Jamie Haage in full drag as the Queen of Country, Dolly Parton, and more musical favorites include 9 to 5 from the award winning film by the aforementioned Parton, the Bruno Mars dance-worthy chart topper 24 K magic, and another up tempo Mars favorite, Runaway Baby.

(Special thanks to the amazing Andy Holloway and Helena Campbell for arranging our visit for this spotlight feature.)