The Duttons are back on the Branson stage after a brief hiatus as they move into their new temporary home at the Yakov Smirnoff Theater.
The Dutton’s returned to Branson at the end of September for the first time since the fire at the Dutton Family Theater on July 13th for the 2022 season.
“Jakov was very kind. He contacted us and said, ‘I’ve got this great big theater. You guys would be a perfect fit. Our schedules match.’ Dutton’s CEO and performer Timothy Dutton said: “In the midst of all the fire restoration, it quickly became apparent that it was going to take longer than we would have liked. We wanted to finish it in a few months, and we’re ready to reopen next April at the Dutton Theater. April 2023. In the meantime, we’re at Uncle Yakov’s.”
Towards Dutton’s grand reopening, The Duttons hosted a special reunion week where all seven Dutton brothers reunited on stage.
“For several years, we modeled it on bringing a retired family member, my brother, a few retired performers, and visiting them once a week at a time. I had a great idea,” said Timothy. “With the schedule adjusted, the stars aligned, and all seven of us on the show for the reunion week, it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed playing games.”
Sales and box office manager and performer Judith Dutton added that the reunion show was just what the family needed after the fires this summer.
“I really needed a lift. It’s been a rough few months after the fire,” Judith said. It was great to see everyone’s lifts and supports come out.”
For those who haven’t had the chance to enjoy The Duttons’ performance this season, Timothy shared what audiences can expect.
“The Dutton’s show is hard to describe and hard to describe. It’s very exciting and funny. It’s fun for the whole family. Lots of different styles of music,” said Timothy. “Some new, some old, some ‘duttonized,’ and when you come to the show, you know what that means. We give a little flair to everything we do. Comedy, dance, variety.
Recent additions to the 2022 show include some new special effects and several new songs featuring all three generations of Dutton performers.
“We have all ages in the cast. If we don’t change it, the kids will get bored,” Judith said. It must be happening.”
Dutton’s eldest grandson, performer and fudge master Jessica Dutton confirmed her mother’s appreciation of her grandchildren.
“Once you’re completely comfortable with muscle memory on stage, it’s time to change,” Jessica said with a laugh.
The current cast of The Duttons features Dean, Sheila, Amy, Julian, Damien, Josiah, Abigail, Grace, Seth, Orson, Marcus, Nerida, Selena and Layla, in addition to Timothy, Judith and Jessica. . Joining them are Rob Wilson on drums, Steve Leach on bass guitar, and his two student interns, Kashton Hanson and Saylor Conover.
As ‘Uncle Yakov’s’ prepared to restart the 2022 season, Timothy said the thought of bringing full production into a new phase was overwhelming.
“We came here and thought, ‘How do we make this work?’ We moved the whole stage set, one at a time. Coming from the theater, it was very familiar to us,” Timothy said. So it became a completely staged house.It’s very natural to play here.In fact, on the first night, it felt like we’ve been here for months.The audience was very responded energetically to and quickly became our new home.”
When I’m not in Branson, I often see the Duttons playing around the country. Judith shared that being a touring family was seen as an advantage when they left for Yakov.
“We tour a lot, so we often come across stages and situations that we’ve never been to before,” said Judith. “I actually had a few people come in and say after the show, ‘You fit better on stage with Yakov. It’s like we needed a bigger venue to accommodate everyone.'”
eEarlier this month, The Duttons Award-winning violinist Amy Dutton Alambro announced she had been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. As I said I know, the diagnosis is still fairly recent.
“She has her own treatment plan and is about to start it. Just a few days ago she had her first round of chemotherapy. “I really feel it,” said Timothy. “She has no plans to stop performing. She’s going to take it every day when it comes and see how it goes.
Judith added that she has a contingency plan in place to give her the time she needs to rest if she isn’t feeling great doing a particular segment of the show or production. Amy has stated that she intends to attend all the shows.
“It’s good for her to have this hard feeling that I have to beat this and stand up and fight it,” Judith said. It’s the best way.Feel the music.Give the music.May the music touch her heart and heal her.”
Amy’s youngest son Josiah is a leukemia survivor. He received his final chemotherapy in November 2016 and has remained in remission ever since. On the show, Amy shares Josiah’s story with the audience before sharing her own diagnosis with the crowd.
“Funny, after all the experiences with Josiah, I feel less fearful and so grateful. I have a very good idea of what to expect,” Amy said in a statement. knows what questions to ask the doctor and is familiar with the whole process. It’s another opportunity to have such strong and loving support.”
Those who haven’t had the chance to see Dutton perform in person in recent years will be surprised to see many of Dutton’s grandchildren now stepping up to bigger roles in production. As a grandson, Jessica explained what it’s like to be part of the third generation of performers.
“I went to school for a few years, and I actually went to Disney World for an internship in the fall. I’m the oldest, so I’m the only one who left and came back to play full time,” said Jessica. now has a couple in school and some on church missions, and it’s probably going to take some time for everyone to figure out what they want to do with their lives, but here I think it’s a really great place.It’s great to do.
With just a few weeks left until the fall show season in town, Jessica confirmed that rehearsals for her Christmas show are already underway.
We have some exciting Christmas items for you,” said Jessica. “We plan to run the show as normal, so only half of the show is Christmas and we are storing a lot of stuff from the show throughout the regular season. ”
A fire destroyed many of the props from the Christmas show, but “Uncle Yakov” is helping the Duttons again.
“Jakov provided us with Christmas props and decorations. “This year may be Russian Christmas.”
The Duttons showtimes are 2:00pm and 8:00pm on select days through Wednesday, December 14th. Yakov’s Theater is located at his 470 State Highway 248 in Branson.
For more information on the show or to reserve tickets, please call the Box Office at 417-332-2772 or visit theduttons.com.
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