Haygoods "shuffle" to and Rankins from Clay Cooper" Theatre in 2014..
BRANSON, Mo., November 24, 2013 – The “Branson Shuffle” has been a part of the evolution of Branson’s live entertainment industry ever since the Baldknobbers “started it all” in 1960. Each year, regardless of when announced, between the ending of one season and the beginning of the next, there is a “shuffle” as some shows move from one theatre to another, some shows decide they have made their final Branson curtain call and new shows come to Branson.
Even in the beginning, when there was only one show in Branson, the Baldknobbers Jamboree show, they “shuffled,” moved, through different locations before settling at their current strip location where they have remained since 1968. It’s a natural process that enables shows to move into time slots and locations they want as other shows vacate them for various reasons such as moving to a different location, retirement or the departure of a star of the show or for anyone of a variety of other reasons.
While shows like Presleys’ Country Jubilee and Jim Stafford have not had to dance the Branson Shuffle, the vast majority of shows have. Even shows such as the Acrobats of China, Baldknobbers Jamboree, Clay Coopers Music Express, Hughes Brothers, Legends in Concert, Duttons and Shoji Tabuchi, who have their own theatres, some for many years, moved around in Branson before arriving at their current permanent locations. Other extremely popular Branson shows such as SIX, The Haygoods, Rankins and others who do not have their own theaters have used the Branson Shuffle in achieving their current success.
The Haygoods are an excellent current illustration of how the Branson Shuffle works. Having performed over 6,000 shows for over 8 million people, they have been performing in Branson since 1993 and have performed in a number of Branson venues, including the RFD Theatre for the 2012 and 2013 season, as their career has evolved. Recently it was announced they would be performing at the Clay Cooper Theatre starting in 2014.
Timothy Haygood said that they are making the move because it fits in with their long term plans from both a personal and professional level. He said that they wanted a long term commitment from a theatre, an opportunity to spend more time with their families, to develop their own individual careers and have the flexibility to perform on the road. Too, he could scarcely contain his excitement as he said, “We are thrilled to be working with Clay and Tina Cooper next year and we can’t wait to roll out our show in their theatre!”
Interestingly, as The Haygoods “shuffled” into the Clay Cooper Theatre because it met their needs, the Rankin Brothers, who are currently performing at the theatre with mostly afternoon shows, announced that they would be moving to the Yakov Smirnoff Theatre for the 2014 season. Larry Rankin, the father and Manager of the Rankin Brothers said, “We are excited about performing our seventh season in Branson at the beautiful Yakov Smirnoff Theatre and being able to perform in the evening time slot.”
The end result of the Branson Shuffle is a constant invigoration of anticipation and excitement as Branson shows move into the locations and time slots that they believe will best enable them to develop and entertain Branson visitors and new shows are added to the almost 100 shows that that make Branson the special wonderful entertainment destination it is.