black bear jamboree brings hollywood to county

It may be Dollywood Country here in Sevier County but at the Black Bear Jamboree Dinner and Show it's more like Hollywood. The theater showed off its newest theatrical presentation to media and guests this week with a Hollywood theme and enough music to keep everybody's feet tapping.
Pigeon Forge has always been known as a great family destination and this show is one that should not be missed by not only tourists but locals as well.
After opening remarks and getting the kids on stage to do a little act of their own, the show begins with a Hollywood scene as the stars of the show, "Jimmy Bryant" as the lead director and "Stacy Mitchell" as his gallant but mainly nerdy assistant set their "film" in motion as Hollywood legends like Marilyn Monroe, sing songs from some of Americas best loved films.
The Black Bear Jamboree gang (six large animatronic black bears) sit on either side of the stage critiquing the show as the director and his assistant do their work.
The music then turns to the hottest tunes from the '70s Disco era, and new Country music favorites, complete with a finale of inspirational and patriotic numbers.
The talented singers, dancers and musicians are so full of energy that you wonder how they are able to do what they do, show after show, and still making you feel like it is the first time they have performed the show onstage. With 250 costume changes, great looking sets, state-of-the-art lighting, and black light special effects it's definitely a show full of excitement.
"This is the first time we have changed the show in a while so we are really excited about it," stated Deborah Fee Newsom Director of Fee/Hedrick Public Relations.
David Fee, co-owner and president of Fee/Hedrick, says the goal of the new show is to give new audiences and repeat patrons a quality entertainment experience unlike any other show in the area. "When you come to the Black Bear Jamboree you are guaranteed lots of bears, lots of music, lots of fun and a guaranteed hand-clapping, toe-tapping good time," Fee says.
A number of Fee/Hedrick employees collectively contributed to the script of the new show, including Stephen Knowles, Bob Hamill, David Hirschi, Alvin Robinette, and Russ Hollingsworth. Under the leadership of general manager Scot Tillery, the new top-rate show has been in the works for the past nine months beginning with last fall's cast auditions.
Scot Tillery says the cast for the 2007 season was specially selected with the new show's performance demands in mind. "For this show we cast performers who were not only good singers and actors, but also were talented in many styles of dance."
The new show features about a dozen different dance styles - tap, jazz, ballet, disco, adagio pairs dancing, Broadway show-style dancing, square dancing and contemporary Country line dancing, just to name a few.
Tillery says of the song selections, "We've kept the same musical revue format of the Black Bear Jamboree Show that audiences are accustom to, but we've included new styles of music such as movie music and brought a new flare to the show with the disco fever number. So far, audiences have commented that they like hearing great Country music, but that they get a little extra at our show with other types of music represented."
Besides the great show you are treated to some of the best fixin's around with a meal of creamy vegetable soup, hickory-pit barbeque ribs, southern-style tender roasted chicken, seasoned green beans, farm-fresh seasoned potatoes, fresh buttery corn on the cob, hot golden brown rolls, unlimited beverages and desert.
In the end the "film" teaches a message about the spirit and culture of the Smoky Mountains region.
Dinner shows are at 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. daily. Adult tickets are $34.95, plus tax. One child, age 11 and under, is free with each paying adult. Additional child tickets are $9.95, plus tax. The "Black Bear Jamboree Dinner and Show" is produced by Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment Group, which is the second largest privately-owned entertainment company in the Southeastern U.S. The company also owns and operates The Comedy Barn Theater, The Miracle Theater, and Magic Beyond Belief Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. For more information about any of Fee/Hedrick's shows, visit www.feehedrick.com or call 428-7676, toll-free at 800-908-9018.