One of Branson's top entertainers, who stepped away from the spotlight of the iconic 76 Country Strip experience several years ago, is making his return in 2021 with a 28-night limited engagement at the Playhouse Theatre on the hallowed grounds of Shepherd of the Hills.
Comedian/ventriloquist Jim Barber, who ended a ten year run at the Hamner-Barber Variety Show on December 14, 2013 to pursue other interests, is returning to the local entertainment scene with a series of 7:30 p.m. shows that kick off in March then resumes June-August.
Prior to that ten year home theatre success, Barber won a national award as a college campus Entertainer of the Year by playing over 2000 campus shows in a stellar run. In 1994 he was lured to Branson by Glen Campbell and was a featured act on the Glen Campbell Goodtime Show,
He also had runs with The Eddie Rabbitt Show, The Osmond Family Theater, The Tony Orlando Show, and Jimmy Osmond’s American Jukebox.
After leaving the home theatre at the end of 2013, he never really thought much about slowing down.
'I went off and toured some and even worked on some cruise ships," said Barber during a telephone interview.
Barber has also been featured in Las Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and on USO shows visiting American troops abroad
Tragedy brought a halt to Barber's touring and cruise ship options in 2015. On August 14 of that year, Diane, his wife of almost thirty-years died of late-stage pancreatic cancer and lymphoma. He had already grown weary of being gone from home for weeks on end and had decided to no longer take bookings to come home.
Less than three months later, his life partner was gone and he had a teenage daughter that needed a stable life and the support of a father that could be there for her when needed.
In the interim, Barber took a job four years ago as the Executive Director of the Branson Regional Arts Council in April 2017. Despite years of touring, sold out concerts on college campuses before coming to Branson and all his success in show business, his association with the organization has been among some of the most energizing and fulfilling of his professional endeavors.
"The Regional Arts Council brings so much to our area," said Barber. "We get to showcase the arts and culture of the region as well as add to the entertainment options in the market. We have eleven events planned for this year and dozens of performances. We just kicked off the season with The Marvelous Wonderettes in the Historic Owen Theatre in downtown Branson."
While BRAC keeps him busy, the creative mind and energy of Barber will spill over into the new show at Shepherd of the Hills with the first performance scheduled for March 13. He will do five shows in March before returning for his summer schedule.
"The times we are in makes it challenging but also offers up some good material for the type of comedy I do," said Barber. "For example, I have been doing a lot of work with my Donald Trump impression, and Donald is certainly a part of the new act. But there will be elements of the act that have been there all along."
"I'm big on audience participation, so I'll be turning audience members into puppets," said Barber. "I become one of the puppets...we'll have the baby puppet and Chico in the Backpack. It's going to be a fun show."
"We thought about doing the show in Branson last year, but the timing just wasn't right. But I'm excited about bringing the show back to Branson for 2021."
You can follow the link HERE to learn more about Jim Barber's return to the Branson entertainment scene in 2021.
