Dave Hamner, Tamra Tinoco and Denise Hamner at announcement.
BRANSON, MO, July 17, 2013 – At a press conference on July 15, world renowned illusionists Dave and Denise Hamner announced that their new extreme variety show, the “Hamners’ Unbelievable Variety Show,” will open in the renamed “Hamner Variety Theatre,” on March 11, 2014. Dave Hamner described the new show as an “extreme variety show.” When asked what an extreme variety show is, Hamner, with a twinkle in his eye, responded, “Unbelievable.” He added that “birds appear, people fly, voices soar” and audiences of all ages will be constantly amazed and entertained by an “Unbelievable” combination of talent that will have them on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what is coming next.
He said that the new variety show will feature major illusions, great vocals, dancing, close up magic, comedy, Russian acrobatics, Adagio dancing, impressions and, perhaps, a few surprises. The cast of “Unbelievable” will feature the internationally renowned illusionists Dave & Denise Hamner, comedian and impressionist Jeff Brandt, vocalist Tamra Tinoco, Russian Acrobatic Adagio father and daughter dance pair, Vadim & Mariya Serykh, comedian and close up magician Lex Pearson, ventriloquist Brenda Hahne, and dancers A.J. Heard and Ken Brown. Here’s a little more in depth look at each:
Illusionists Dave and Denise Hamner have headlined many major production shows around the world, presenting their award winning and original feats of magic; have co-owned and co-produced the Hamner Barber Variety Show for the past ten years and have received the prestigious “Magic Masters Award” by their magical peers in Las Vegas. They are best known “for their one of a kind act in which they produce several beautiful Macaws and Cockatoos that appear amid flying cards, flaming swords, falling coins and jewels. The birds then perform an incredible flight over and around the audience before gracefully returning to the stage. Other original illusions include ‘Stargate,’ ‘The Lightning Levitation,’ ‘Vertigo: The Fall of Death,’ ‘Secrets of the Lost Ark Revealed,’ and the magical finale to their Veteran’s tribute, ‘Thank You’s Not Enough.'”
Cast members Rex Pearson, left, Jeff Brandt, Tamra Tinoco, Vadim & Mariya Serykh, Dave & Denise Hamner, Brenda Hayne and Ken Brown.
Impressionist Jeff Brandt “is considered one of the top singing impressionists in the country. Jeff has co-starred in several Branson shows over the years including to the high-energy Wayne Newton show which featured Jeff’s amazing vocal talents for 13 years both in Branson and Las Vegas. Among Jeff’s other accomplishments are two appearances on NBC’s ‘Tonight Show,’ a featured spot on the TV show ‘Las Vegas,’ two featured film appearances in ‘Vegas Vacation’ and ‘Smoking Aces,’ performances at the White House in Washington DC, and the National Republican Convention.”
Vocalist Tamra Tinoco “is from Springfield, MO. She has a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from the University of Kansas City Conservatory of Music. She has performed all over the world and in 45 different states. She has produced shows such as ‘Magnificent Country,’ ‘Today’s Country,’ ‘Showcase Jubilee’, and currently the ‘Magnificent Variety Show.’ Tamra has performed with artists such as Lee Greenwood, Vince Gill, John Davidson, Jim Stafford, Ferlin Husky and was Porter Waggoner’s guest star on the ‘Grand Ole Opry.'”
The father and daughter team of Vadim & Mariya Serykh “have been performing hand balancing adagio at Cirque Montage for the past two years. Mariya’s first appearance on stage was when she was just 4 years old with her parents on the Showboat Branson Belle and she has been performing ever since in numerous events and productions throughout the country. Mariya is a natural when it comes to acrobatics but more so as a dancer in Ballet, Modern, Contemporary and Jazz. She was a competitive dancer and used her agility to learn how to soar through the air as an aerialist and had the honor of winning the title of National and World Champion in dance.”
Close Up Magician and comedian Lex Pearson has appeared in a number of Branson shows spending the last seven years with the Hamner Barber Variety Show and has been a featured artist in a number of Mexican resorts in addition to appearing in the movies ‘Surrendered’ ‘The Movie,’ and ‘Broken Faith.’ You will be amazed with his close-up magic. And won’t believe your eyes as he performs incredible tricks of the trade using cards, ropes, coins and more.”
Ventriloquist Brenda Hahne “and her cast of characters have been entertaining audiences for over 15 years. Not only a ventriloquist, Brenda is also a magician’s assistant, having worked side-by-side with her magician husband Marty since they were married in 1983. Besides performing for hundreds of family audiences across the country, Brenda has also entertained on seven different cruise ships, and internationally in New Zealand and Singapore. Originally from Ohio, Brenda makes her home in Ozark, MO.”
Choreographer and Dancer AJ Heard grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, where she started taking dance and ice skating lessons at the age of 3. “She trained with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and at age 17 joined a professional training program at the highly regarded, Randolph Dance Theater. She was hired by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as a lead dancer in their multimillion dollar variety shows and this is where she met her husband, Bucky. AJ has performed and choreographed for a variety of shows including, The Van Burch and Welford Show, … and Jimmy Osmonds American Jukebox…AJ is currently the choreographer/dance captain for the Hamner Barber Variety Show.”
Assistant Choreographer Dance Captain Ken Brown “grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. He also worked alongside The Hamners in Jimmy Osmond’s American Jukebox. Affectionately referred to by the cast as ‘Downtown Kenny Brown,’ Ken is a multi-talented entertainer and gives 110% to every performance.”
“Unbelievable” will be directed by Johnny Thompson who “performs under the stage name ‘The Great Tomsoni.’ Within the magician community, ‘Tomsoni’ is considered a virtuoso, widely known as a mentor and teacher of magic, and a creator of tricks, as opposed to simply a performer. He has worked behind the scenes with magicians such as Penn and Teller, Lance Burton, and Criss Angel. In 1999, he was awarded one of the highest honors in the magician community, a Masters Fellowship with the Academy of Magical Arts. Dave and Denise are thrilled to have the expertise of such a high caliber director, producer to bring a fresh new look to their magical variety show.”
Denise Hamner said, “I am so excited. It’s not just that we have a new show that we believe will be fantastic, but for the quality and enthusiasm of all the acts that will be featured with us. It’s a show and cast that will keep people on the edge of their seats eagerly anticipating what’s coming next and leaving the theatre exhausted from the all the fun, excitement, entertainment, amazement and wonder they have just experienced.”