Branson show coming to Central Texas in June
By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
A musical show straight from the stage in Branson, Mo. is making a special appearance in Central Texas on Father’s Day weekend to raise funds to benefit Copperas Cove-based Operation Stand Down Central Texas and the Veteran Internment Fund.
“All hands on deck!” showcases a repertoire of 1940s era songs, performed in a format reminiscent of the radio show days.
Among the hits on the list are tunes like “I’ve Heard That Song Before”, “Sentimental Journey”, “I’m In The Mood For Love”, “Chattanooga Choo-Choo”, “Rosie The Riveter”, “We’ll Meet Again”, and America The Beautiful”.
Performances will be held at the Cultural Activities Center in Temple, with two showings only, Saturday, June 17 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 18 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $40 for adults, $15 for children/students, with a group rate for 10 or more at $31 each. Seating at the CAC is limited.
The show has performed coast-to-coast and has sold out at many venues.
Joann Courtland, director of OSDCT, talked about how the show came to Central Texas.
“While in Branson for Veteran’s Week in November, a friend of ours, Rich Beil, and his wife, Cathy, saw this terrific show. It is a Broadway caliber, patriotic musical set in World War II. It’s one of the most enjoyable shows they had ever seen, including Vegas.”
Courtland said Beil became acquainted with the show’s producer, Jody Madaras, and pitched the idea of doing shows in Texas as benefit shows to support veterans’ organizations, and Rich thought of OSDCT. “So now here we are with the Cultural Activities Center in Temple Father’s Day weekend. I have spoken with Jody (Madaras) several times myself and I am really looking forward to this show and raising awareness about veteran’s homelessness as well as the Veteran Interment Fund, which assists in burying unclaimed veterans. I think this show coming to Texas is wonderful and will hopefully not be a onetime thing. I would love to bring it back to have it as a regular fund raiser for our organization.”
Show creator and Jody Madaras spent nearly four years writing the script for “All hands on deck!”. He used the Hollywood Victory Caravan, a group of film stars who toured America by train in 1942 selling war bonds, as the setting.
“When I got the idea to do the show, one of the things I found was that no one had ever done a show based on the Caravan. It was a huge part of the war effort and no one had ever fully honored them.”
The show first premiered in Ohio in 2011, then headed to Branson, Mo. where it is performed live onstage since 2016.
Beil is also trying to get the word out about the show and pointed out that with only two performances at the 475-seat Cultural Activities Center, that only 950 people in the entire Central Texas area are going to get to see this show in June.
“Since we’re giving our sponsors tickets to the show, every time we pick up a new sponsor, it means fewer and fewer seats available for the buying public,” Beil said. “Almost 200 are already gone.”
Beil said that because the musical is “something of a living history lesson about WWII,” next week he will be addressing both the Temple and Copperas Cove school boards and intends to do the same in Belton and Killeen.