Shoji

Shoji - Story by Jennifer McCullough and Richard Freihofer, Editor & Publisher
Photos by Richard Freihofer

From the uniformed, white-gloved parking attendants to the ornate furnishings of fuchsia and purple decor as you enter the plush interior of the lobby, your grand experience has already begun.

You've heard about the bathrooms, but the freshly cut orchids, the onyx pedestal sinks, the billiard table and all those other touches of excellence to pamper and impress will still take you aback.

Then the show begins.

Surely, your curiosity has been peaked. You've heard this unlikely tale of the Japanese country fiddler achieving superstar status in Branson, headlining a show which for years has remained the hottest ticket in town.

All this due Among a sight and sound intro of hi-tech pageantry, Shoji Tabuchi emerges in a blaze of musical glory. To follow, a world tour of all the great styles of music dear to this fiddler's heart, from country, to classical, to Broadway, fifties, polka, Cajun, Caribbean, Gospel, patriotic and even traditional music from ancient Japan. Audiences are treated to Japanese warriors and maidens, Mardi Gras, raucous clowns, angelic choirs, and characters with a persistent tendency
to fly.

It's all presented in stunning production numbers that fill the stage with a cast of twenty-five red hot singers, dancers and musicians, surrounded by majestic sets and effects unsurpassed, be it Broadway, Vegas or the follies of Paris.

Dorothy, Shoji, and Christina presenting a check to the Make
A Wish Foundation, one of their adopted charities. Says Shoji, "This is a very good organization for children with illnesses very hard to cure. When we see the children being sick and they are
so high-spirited, it just touches
our heart."