The Hamner Barber Variety Show features amazing magical illusions of The Hamners and hilarious vocal comedy of ventriloquist Jim Barber.  Add in some

hot dance routines and great music, and  you’ve got a show that appeals to audiences of all ages. Read more about the show here!

Spend Valentines Day Weekend in Branson!

Friday, February 11, 2011 is opening night and marks the beginning of the 8th season of comedy and magic at the Hamner Barber Theater in Branson, Missouri. Make it a memorable weekend and bring your special Valentine to see this fun production featuring comedy, magic and a heart-felt tribute to American Veterans that you’ll never forget! Reserve your tickets by clicking here!

There’s magic in the air, but it doesn’t stop there…

Dave and Denise Hamner are famous around the world for their seemingly impossible act where they make cards, coins, silk scarves and several beautiful tropical parrots appear out of nowhere and fly over the heads of the astonished audience. The Hamners have created several spectacular and original magic illusions that can only be seen at the Hamner Barber Theater.  No where else on the planet will you experience the amazing magical routines that they have produced for this show.

In addition to Branson, the Hamners have headlined performances at Hollywood’s Magic Castle, Disneyland in California, Magic Island in Huston, TX and in several major resort hotels across the country.  Read more of the Hamners biography here!

Jim Barber is not only one of the country’s top comedy ventriloquists, he has also earned a reputation as a great singer with his multi-octave vocal range. His cast of wacky characters and vocal impersonations will have you laughing out-loud and leave everyone talking!

Before coming to Branson to perform with country music legend Glen Campbell, Jim toured with his act all across the Nation and in over 15 foreign countries with the USO entertaining our military troops.  As a ventriloquist, Jim was the featured variety act aboard the General Jackson Showboat in Nashville, TN before taking his show to nearly 2,000 college and university campuses over a ten year period.  Read more of Jim Barber’s biography here!

Special thanks to Bucky Heard for producing and singing vocals on “Let Me Entertain You.”

Watch More Hamner Barber Videos By Clicking Here!

Before the screaming jet engines and the plumes of dense smoke, there was a modestly quaint and colorful performance happening nightly over the heads of astonished Branson theater goers.  The act was called the “Pirate Parrot Act” and was developed over many years of intense training, love and dedication by professional illusionists Dave and Denise Hamner who came to the Ozarks from their ranch home in Southern California where they raised their birds by hand and tended to them kindly as if they were their own children.    In their one-of-a-kind act, a beautiful bevy of exotic, tropical parrots appear from nowhere, flying low enough over the audience as to rustle the hair of anyone in their path.  There are macaws, cockatoos and even white doves creating a seemingly endless array of feathered fun to the delight of those looking up from below.  The giddy laughs of amazement and vocal cheers from the crowd is testament to the sheer magnificence of their original routine.  Branson audiences had never seen anything like this before.

The Hamners were receiving high recognition for their magical effects, long before bringing them to Branson.  In addition to appearances across the country, they’ve performed at major attractions such as Disneyland and Hollywood’s Magic Castle.  After a performance in Las Vegas, entertainment Superstars Siegfried and Roy presented the Hamners with their prestigious Bronze Lion Award for excellence and shortly thereafter, they were asked to perform with their beautiful birds on NBC’s “World’s Greatest Magic” TV special which has been aired around the world numerous times.  Host John Ritter introduced the Hamners as “the most amazing bird act in all of magic.”

When the Hamners were hired to perform at a theater in the Mutton Hollow Theme Park in Branson, Missouri (most recently known as Celebration City), they were so taken by the beauty of the Ozarks, that  they sought out other opportunities to stay in the area.  After an invitation from Jimmy Osmond to join him and his talented brothers at the Osmond Family Theater, The Hamners began to earn a reputation around Branson as one of the most amazing support acts in town.  When their contract at the Osmond Theater expired, Dave and Denise were offered a featured role in a new production show called “Branson City Lights” which then led to an opportunity to finally headline their own “Magic of the Night” spectacular at the Remington Theatre.  A couple years later, they once again teamed up with Jimmy Osmond to perform in the “American Jukebox Show” where they shared a dressing room with comedian, ventriloquist Jim Barber who had also been cast in the new show.  Although the Hamners and Jim Barber had been friends for many years prior, this opportunity to appear in the same show brought them much closer together.

After a successful two-season run, the plug was pulled on the American Jukebox Show creating an opportunity for the performers to move on to new ventures.  Jimmy Osmond traveled to England to produce and star in various projects, and in the Spring  of 2004, Jim Barber and The Hamners were offered an opportunity to co-star in their very own “Hamner Barber Variety Show” at another venue that they now own together, the Hamner Barber Theater on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway.  In 2010, the award-winning variety show will celebrate it’s seventh-season as Branson’s most unique family show featuring magic, comedy, music and dance.

In addition to their magical feathered friends, the Hamners have also invented and developed many never-before-seen stage illusions that can only be experienced at their Branson show.  In the world of illusion, The Hamners are true originals in every sense of the word.  As long as they continue to step out onto the stage of the Hamner Barber Theater, there will be magic in the air above Branson!

“Dave Hamner gives credit to his father, a Baptist minister, for that first part. He points to his partner, ventriloquist Jim Barber – who shares the marquee and stage of the Hamner Barber Theater – for the second part. And he takes a deep bow toward his wife of 17 years, Denise, for everything else.”
- C. Dennis Schick

The article also discusses how Dave Hamner teamed up with his old friend Jim Barber to produce the Hamner Barber Variety Show and ultimately partnership as owners of the theater venue.

“Jim Barber, although now a world-class ventriloquist, actually started as a magician himself. A native of South Dakota, he toured with a magic show for several years, and even performed with the USO. But when he decided to focus on the college circuit, he found that being a ventriloquist and comedian put him in a unique catagory, which got him more bookings. He’s concentrated on that ever since.” - C. Dennis Schick

Thank you to Dennis Schick and The Linking Ring for this wonderful feature story and for all the support you’ve shown us here at the Hamner Barber Theater.

The International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) is the world’s largest organization for magicians boasting nearly 13,000 members worldwide. With over 300 local groups, called Rings, in more than 73 countries, it is considered to be the most respected organization for amateur and professional magicians in the world!

International Brotherhood of Magicians
www.magician.org

The Hamners are being honored with their second Merlin Award as“Entertainers of the Year.” In 1999 they received the coveted award for “Best Manipulation.”

Making this year’s presentation even more special, Jim Barber is receiving his Merlin Award for “Ventriloquist of the Year,” being the first entertainer ever to receive this award for ventriloquism in the society’s 38 year history.

The International Magicians Society (IMS) is the world’s largest magic society as recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. The IMS began in 1968 and now has over 37,000 members worldwide. It was created to help promote and preserve the art of magic and provide a format where magicians (and magic hobbyists) could share their secrets and ideas.

In the profession of magic, the Merlin statuette is the equivalent of the Oscar for film, the Emmy for television, and the Tony for theater. It is presented only to those entertainers who have achieved the highest level in their craft. The voting members begin with approximately one hundred names and narrow the list down to a select few. The criteria considered for a winner include talent, showmanship, originality, skills, and above all, the rare ability to entertain under any conditions.

The Merlin Award statuette was commissioned to over 100 art students from various colleges across the country. The winning design was carved and created in 1968 by New York University art student Carol Michaud.

Some of the more famous winners of the Merlin Award for excellence in magic include: Harry Blackstone, Doug Henning, Siegfried & Roy and David Copperfield.

Related websites:

Hamner Barber Theater
www.HamnerBarber.com

International Magicians Society
www.magicims.com

In a full page story, MAGIC magazine Editor John Moehring praised The Hamner’s original stage escape illusion by stating“Vertigo is not only devilishly suspenseful, but it is perhaps the only stage escape that has a surprise climax that seems physically impossible.”

Moehring also complimented Jim Barber’s half of the show as“clever comedy and impeccable ventriloquism.”

The shows talented cast of dancers also received kudos in the review. “Choreographer A.J. Herd struts her stuff in a Broadway dance medley, “Downtown” Kenny Brown sings with elegance and soul, and Tim Lewis is a hoofer par excellence, proving as Dave (Hamner) has already told his audience, “these guys aren’t just a bunch of box jumpers.”

Moehring concluded his review by stating, “The blending of the talents of Jim Barber and Dave Hamner plays well in this show. And because Jim was a magician before he turned to ventriloquism, while Dave practiced ventriloquism as he first learned magic, the two performers have plans to add some new material to the show – that explores what these two talented guys did and didn’t want to be when they grew up.”

The cast and crew of the Hamner Barber Variety Show extend a huge “Thank You” to John Moerhing and everyone at MAGIC for including us in the special issue.

Visit MAGIC Magazine online for more information or to subscribe to this beautifully designed and printed publication.

David and Denise Hamner have headlined many major production shows around the world, presenting their award winning and original feats of magic. Venues include not only Las Vegas, Disneyland and Hollywood’s famous “Magic Castle” but also Branson where they starred in the productions Branson City All Star Revue and Magic of the Night which earned them multiple “Featured Performance” honors in the Branson All American Entertainment Awards. They were recently presented the prestigious “Magic Masters Award” by their magical piers in Las Vegas as well as the “Merlin Award” for “Best Manipulation.” Internationally know magicians Siegfried and Roy personally honored the Hamners by presenting them with their “Bronze Lion Head Award” for performance excellence.

The Hamners are best known for their one of a kind act in which they produce ten enormous exotic birds. Their beautiful Macaws and Cockatoos appear amid flying cards, flaming swords, falling coins and jewels and then perform an incredible flight over and around the audience before gracefully returning to the stage. Other original illusions to be featured in the new variety show include The Stargate, The Lightning Levitation, The Syringe Impailment, and Vertigo: The Fall of Death. The Hamners have performed these effects on many national television shows including NBC’s “World’s Greatest Magic” and on specials produced for the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Dave Hamner is also an ordained Minister with extensive educational training. He and his wife Denise have held special theater worship services in Branson whenever they appear here locally. The Hamners are excited and feel blessed to once again have the opportunity of preaching the gospel each Sunday morning at 10:00am at The Victorian.

Jim Barber is recognized as one of the world’s great ventriloquists and has been honored as the “International Ventriloquist of the Year,” “Comedy Entertainer of the Year,” by the National Association of Campus Activities and Showtime, the Movie Channel named him one of the “Funniest People in America,” for his creative approach to the art of ventriloquism.

Jim was first introduced to Branson as the featured comedian in Glen Campbell’s Goodtime Show. He has since been featured in other successful Branson productions with The Osmonds, Tony Orlando, Kirby VanBurch and the late Eddie Rabbitt. He served as a national co-host for the Jerry Lewis “Stars Across America” Labor Day Telethon and has appeared on many national television shows on The Nashville Network, A&E, Fox, ABC, and NBC. Jim appears regularly in Las Vegas, Reno and major resort destinations performing for national corporate events and his participation in USO shows have taken him around the world entertaining our troops. He is also a favorite aboard cruise ships and was recently a featured artist for the maiden Caribbean voyage of the world’s largest cruise liner, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2.

Beyond his reputation as an area performer, Jim also combines his creativity with computers as co-owner of Image Works, Inc., a video production, graphic design and publishing company. Jim has extensive training and experience in multimedia and has personally developed projects for Silver Dollar City, Big Cedar Lodge, Glen Campbell, Jimmy Osmond, Yakov Smirnoff, Pierce Arrow, Paul Harris and many other businesses in the Branson area and around the country. He also is honored to serve on the board of directors for “Mountain Country Habitat For Humanity” and his family are members of First Presbyterian Church of Branson. Jim’s wife Diane has an extensive musical theater background and will perform in the new show’s holiday production, “The Wings of Christmas” during November and December.

Related Websites:

Hamner Barber Variety Show Site
www.hamnerbarber.com

Jim Barber’s Sites
www.jimbarber.com
www.imageinc.biz