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Just what is the Shoji Tabuchi Show that everyone loving American music
is raving about? At its heart is Branson USA's first family of extraordinary
musical entertainment....Shoji Tabuchi, his beautiful wife Dorothy and
delightful daughter Christina. The family that plays, sings, and dances
encompasses all the wholesome values of truly great family entertainment.
Yet the show rivals the pure excitement of Las Vegas or New York.
With his sense of musical perfection, Shoji searched long
and hard for the right professional musicians to form his band. It is
with great pride and affection that he introduces each and every
member, all of whom have one or more degrees in music. Their repertoire
includes everything from country to classic, played with all the
subtlety or verve, as the music demands, of a gifted musical
organization.
The superb dancers are Dorothy's domain. Working with a renowned
choreographer, and long hours of rehearsals, she has brought the dance
company to a state of perfection that rivals any dance company in the
world. Their creativity ranges from dancing with twirling cowboy ropes to
lively polkas to dancing the Sugar Plum Fairy danced on toe during a special
Christmas performance. Since the days of the Old Testament, song has been an
expression of joy, uplifting the spirit. The company's extraordinary
vocalists exemplify that joy with lovely ballads, songs of the 50's and
60's, gospel,...all to the toe-tapping delight of the audience.
All is showcased in a theatre that is a phenomenon in
itself...often called the "Showplace of Branson." Its decor is
reminiscent of the grand theatre palaces of the 1930's. Even the restrooms have awed
visitors.
The ladies' powder room is complete with wainscoting and ceiling
reproduced from the 1890's Empire Period. To the ladies amazement, there are
live cut orchids at every granite and onyx pedestal sink. Add to all that
stained and jeweled glass and magnificient chandeliers! |
| The gentlemen's lounge is no less imposing, with black lion head sinks imported from Italy, black leather chairs and a marble fireplace. The billiard room contains a hand carved mahogany billiard table, a viewing gallery, and a burled walnut mirror that was built in 1868. |  |
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A recent addition to the
show has been a cherished project of Shoji's and
Dorothy's, and brings to the American people some of
Shoji's native Japanese culture . . . the Taiko drums.
The word Taiko refers to the art of Japanese
drumming, but also means the Taiko drums
themselves. The drums are not just instruments, but
rather they recreate "the origin of the spirit of
the Japanese people."
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Reputedly, Taiko
was used originally to intimidate enemies on the
battlefield. Taiko also was once a symbol of the
rural community, and the limits of a village were
defined, not by geography, but by the furthest reach of
the drums' sound. Taiko is still used in
Japanese religious ceremonies and is an important part of
many festivals. Taiko as it is performed today
is a relatively new phenomenon. It started in post-war
Japan as a way to preserve tradition.
The "tomoe" design painted on the head of the drum is from the Japanese culture, which gives the scope of the universe. Their belief is the everything is the breadth of creation. The spiral comma-shape of the tomoe is the never ending, all-encompassing spiritual feeling of everything that is or was. |
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There are 25 drums of three different styles and sizes in our show. The largest, known as Odaiko, was hand carved by Asano Taiko of Japan. The smallest are called Shime-daiko and has a high-pitched sound. Our Nagado-daiko, the mid-size drums, were custom made by David Leong of Rolling Thunder Taiko. |
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Chosen to instruct our
cast on the art of Taiko technique was Marco Lienhard. Marco is a world-class performer
and instructor of not only Taiko drumming, but also fue
and shakuhachi, which are traditional Japanese flutes. We
feel very fortunate to have him come to Branson to work
with us.
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