Twilight settles over the mountains. Whippoorwills serenade the end of day. Theatergoers settle into their seats for an under-the-stars production of the timeless tale The Shepherd of the Hills.
Mother Nature helps set the stage for what is billed as the world's longest-running outdoor drama. On a set the size of a football field, visitors see knockdown, drag-out fights, a blazing fire, a shootout, a mirthful hoedown (in which audience members are invited to participate) and mystery, love and drama galore.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the book that changed Branson.
"People began coming here because they wanted to see what Harold Bell Wright had written about," said Lynn Berry of the Branson-Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce. "That book helped make Branson what it is today."
On this summer night, visitors take a tram ride down to the historic, 1,300-seat amphitheater. The trip seems to turn back time and sets the mood for the tale. The Jeep-drawn tram curves down a steep, tree-covered trail to a huge theater carved into a hill.
Ushers in 1800s garb welcome visitors. As dusk falls, the stage comes alive. It takes 40 horses, five mules, a donkey, a flock of sheep, an antique car, thundering wagons and buggies, 30 pistols and handguns, more than 80 actors, a burning log cabin and a 1908 DeWitt automobile to bring the book to life.
"Ninety-nine percent of our cast is local," said Keith Thurman, who acted in the pageant for 13 years before becoming its director. "A lot of people in the show are related to real characters the book was based on."
Many in the production, as well as in the audience, come back year after year.
"I've got folks who have been in this show for 30 years," Mr. Thurman said.
The story revolves around a mysterious stranger, Dan Howitt, who has taken an old trail deep into the Ozarks to escape civilization. He appears intelligent and cultured, yet his face is marked by grief and disappointment. No one knows the disastrous past for which he is trying to atone.
Mr. Howitt shows up at the simple home of Old Matt Matthews, his wife, Mollie, and their son, Young Matt, who befriend the sad city man. Mr. Howitt stays to tend a flock of sheep, thus becoming the shepherd of the hills.
Published in 1907, the book opened the way for a new source of income for the Ozarks: tourism. Readers wanted to see the places and the people described in The Shepherd of the Hills. More railroad tracks made mountain travel easier. By 1909, many travelers disembarking from trains at Branson or nearby Reeds Spring asked to see "Old Matt's Cabin."
"The story became so popular that several people here had the vision to set up the pageant based on the novel," Ms. Berry said. When it opened in 1959-60, The Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Drama was the only show in town.
But the boom had begun. Silver Dollar City also started in 1960, and the Baldknobbers band was organized.
"The Mabe brothers and Chick Allen were the first band in the Shepherd performance," Mr. Thurman said. "In later scenes, they rode as the Baldknobbers, and that's how they got the name for their band. In 1968, they built themselves a theater. The Presley family built their theater. And the performers keep coming."
Since its first season, the outdoor drama has entertained millions of people. The amphitheater for the evening production of the play is built on the land where Mr. Wright lived as he wrote his story of triumph, tragedy and love.
During the day, visitors can hop on a tram for a 90-minute tour of the Shepherd of the Hills Homestead and Outdoor Theatre. The first stop is Old Matt's Cabin, the Matthews family's original home, which stands where it did when Mr. Wright first visited the Ozarks in 1889. In real life, it was the home of John and Anna Ross, upon whom Mr. Wright based the Matthews family.
In 1896, Mr. Wright left Kansas to try to recover his health and peace of mind. A minister, he traveled as far into the Ozarks as the rails took him. At the end of the line, he set off on horseback into the hills.
Turning back from a flood-swollen White River, he sheltered at the Ross homestead on a ridge near Mutton Hollow. Mr. Wright intended to spend one night but stayed the summer.
He returned to the Ross homestead each summer for several years as he gradually regained his health.
At the Harold Bell Wright Museum is the original manuscript of The Shepherd of the Hills. The story has been told by Hollywood four times; including a 1941 version starring John Wayne. It also has been produced thousands of times on stage, including on Broadway.
Visitors can go to the top of Inspiration Tower, a 230-foot lookout built in 1989 on the site where Mr. Wright camped while compiling his book notes. Statues of six of the main characters in the book stand on Inspiration Point. On a clear day, you can see more than 90 miles.
As the years have passed, the historic production has changed to keep up with the times.
"The story never changes," Mr. Thurman said. "But we're always trying to improve the production, to tweak it to make it better."
Special effects such as the burning of the cabin have been enhanced. More animals, people and buggies have been added. The antique auto became part of the show in 1983, and two spirits that appear were included in 1985.
Branson seems to have found the magic combination for entertaining people, said Mike Hughes, general manager for Shepherd of the Hills.
"In the early 1990s, we climbed from about 4 million visitors a year to almost 6 million," he said. "It's been a steady rise every year since then. This year, we're looking at 7 million or more."
Bob Smith, deputy director of the Missouri Division of Tourism, said, "In 1980, there were only six theaters in town. Now, Branson has over 100 shows. There are more theater seats in Branson than on Broadway."
From 1982 through 1985, Mr. Smith played the sheriff in The Shepherd of the Hills.
"That story never seems to grow old," he said. "It's probably one of the most beautiful stories ever written."
Information courtesy of Dallas Morning News