The Bible says Noah was a “righteous” man and that he lived to be 950 years old.
Too bad he couldn’t have hung around a bit longer. He might have been one of the “Righteous Brothers,” singing such hits as, “Unchained Melody,” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.”

Oh well, Noah had his own hit songs. One was, “What’ll We Do on a Rainy Day in the Ark?”

Earlier this week, I wrote about the great accommodations we had last week in Branson, Mo. I said I’d have more to say about this popular vacation and entertainment spot.

So, let’s go back to Branson.

This was our fourth trip down there. We try not to double up on shows, with one exception. I MUST see the Oak Ridge Boys if they’re in town, and they were.

But first, “Noah, The Musical.”

This is an incredibly wonderful show presented in the beautiful Sight and Sound Theatre. I’m sorry to say it ended for the season on Oct. 16. But, it will start up again in March. I’m told “The Miracle of Christmas,” is equally as wonderful and it runs from Oct. 30 to Dec. 31.

You know Noah’s story: After God reveals to the “righteous” one that a flood will extinguish all life on earth, He instructs Noah to build an ark massive enough to hold his family, any other true believers, and pairs of every species of living creature.

The family tries in vain to convince friends and neighbors to join them and are ridiculed and attacked throughout the decades it takes to fulfill God’s command to build an ark. But Noah and his wife, their sons and their wives, persevere and the ark is completed.

The stage is several hundred feet wide. The exterior ark set piece weighs about 18,500 pounds and is moved during the show by 10 to 12 people. There are around 450 hand props in the show. Grandfather Methuselah does a complete costume, wig and beard change while moving from the back of the theatre to the stage. The fastest recorded time for his change is 43 seconds.

It was amazing to see the animals, many of them live, run up the ramp when it’s time to board ship. And after intermission, when the curtains are pulled back along the theater’s sides, the audience for-all-the-world is on that ark with Noah and his family. You can actually feel what it must have been like to be cooped up.

So, what did Noah and his family do on a rainy day in the ark? The song says they snacked on apples, fed the giraffes, gathered eggs, dried fruit and sang along with the birds.

This musical really brought that Bible story to life.

We also saw:

The Twelve Irish Tenors. We heard their voices were “rich as Irish cream,” and after seeing and hearing them, I can attest to that. Most of the 12 are right from Ireland and they sing everything from opera to pop, Irish folk songs to jazz. We heard such songs as, “Danny Boy,” “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” “The Rose,” “Mack the Knife,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Hey Jude,” and many more. Their choreography was impeccable and the whole thing most enjoyable.

The Oak Ridge Boys. What can I say about “The Mighty Oaks?” They are my all-time favorites. During my days at the Grand Forks Herald, I interviewed all four of them for four separate stories.

In Branson, tenor Joe Bonsall, talked about Oct. 3, when they performed at the Chester Fritz Auditorium in Grand Forks, N.D., at which time I let out a holler. He replied, “man, you guys are from everywhere.” William Lee Golden didn’t sing from the Fritz stage that night, instead he was in Altru Hospital with heart issues.

During intermission, I spoke with William Lee’s drummer son. He told me that his dad had two stents and one angioplasty while in Grand Forks. He went home to Henderson, Tenn., to recuperate and wasn’t with them in Branson either. Another fellow fills in for him. But, William Lee is doing great now and was expected to be back with the boys this week.

The Oaks did songs off their new album, “The Boys Are Back,” plus many of their old No. 1 hits. Their gospel and patriotic songs are my favorites.

The Righteous Brothers — Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley started singing together in 1962 and continued to do so until Hatfield’s death in 2003. Medley is carrying on their songs and their tradition with his daughter, McKenna, singing by his side. Medley is a fantastic keyboardist and I was also very impressed by vocalist/guitarist, Bob Gulley. I especially liked their “unplugged” segment where the whole band pulled stools to the edge of the stage and could almost reach out to touch the crowd. They also did great gospel and patriotic music.

It’s interesting how the Righteous Brothers adopted their name. In 1962 they were performing in Los Angeles as part of a five member group called, The Paramours. One night, a Marine in the audience liked one song so much that after it was over, he shouted, “that was righteous, brothers!”

Among other adjectives, righteous means good, just, blameless, moral, upright, respectable.

That was Noah and that goes for all the shows we saw in Branson.

Branson is more than shows and golf and outlet shopping. There’s lots more to do so more is forthcoming.

Until Soon