subject: Yakov's Branson Shows Offer New Reason Why [print this page] Yakov's Branson Shows Offer New Reason Why
Branson shows offer vacationers a chance to meet and enjoy their favorite performers. While most of those performers offer comforting blasts of the past, at least one Branson star has reinvented himself and is attracting new generations of fans with a startlingly inventive show.
Yakov Smirnoff, famous in the 1980s as a young comedian direct from Russia, now owns and operates Yakov Smirnoff Dinner Adventure. This is a unique dinner-theater experience that has become one of the top draws in this very competitive entertainment market.
An artist in the former Soviet Union, Yakov came to the US with his parents in 1977 - with only $100 in his pocket. He quickly found a unique niche as a Russian comedian, managing to make jokes about the former Soviet regime. In Soviet Union, we do not say, Your mother wears army boots, one of his most famous lines went. Chances are, she probably does. Or again: In America you can always find a party. In Soviet Union, the party always finds you.
Americans at the end of the Cold War embraced Yakovs shtick and cheered his stand-up routines and his performances in such movies as Moscow on the Hudson. He embraced America too, becoming a US citizen in 1986.
The end of the Cold War resulted in changes in the Soviet Union - and in Yakovs life. He ended up settling in Branson, MO, like many other entertainers. However, while other shows in Branson, MO, merely rehash the greatest hits of the past, Yakov is career has changed and grown with the times.
Today the Yakov Smirnoff Theater seats 1,800 and sells 150,000 tickets per year. While he still packs them in with his stand-up routine, another popular show, Yakovs Dinner Adventure, brings something unique to Ozark Mountain tourists - a taste of Russian culture.
While other Branson shows emphasize bluegrass music and hillbilly hijinks, Yakov is Dinner Adventure combines the thrills of a Russian circus with a powerful plot. Audiences will laugh and cry over the adventures of Andrei the Clown as he searches for Marina the Ballerina, his one true love. Following Andrei along his journey, the audience encounters a troupe of performing dogs and cats, a fire slinger, a human slinky, and champion unicyclist. Audience members really do meet the performers both before and after the show.
This enthralling adventure is more than matched by the scrumptious Russian dinner served during intermission. Pierogis, kukuruski soup, and babka recall the tastes of Eastern Europe - an intriguing change from chicken, grits. and other local vittles.
Yakov's unique talents have earned him Bransons coveted Comedian of the Year award twice. He is also a talented artist - his Tribute to America, painted in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, hung over Ground Zero for more than a year. If that were not enough, he writes a popular family-life column for the American Association of Retired Persons.
Yakov is far from being retired himself, however. America's adopted son continues to pack em in and enthrall audiences with his wonderful dinner adventure. If you are planning a trip to Branson, leave room in your itinerary for this most unique of Branson shows.
