Branson Missouri’s Premier Performing Family, The Duttons, are returning to Mesa for their 2023 Winter Season.
“We are so excited to be back in the valley!” Matriarch Sheila Dutton said. “We are looking forward to our opening on January 19 in our Mesa theater at 74th and Main.”
After a fire temporarily closed their Branson theater, and a recent cancer diagnosis for lead violinist, Amy Dutton Arambulo, The Duttons are looking forward to getting back on track and bringing their unique brand of music to their Mesa audiences.
“2022 was kind of a rough year for us,” says Amy. “First we had a devastating fire in our Branson Theater in July that destroyed the lobby and caused extensive smoke damage throughout the entire theater. Then, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in October and that pretty much turned everything upside down.”
As they say, in show business, the show must go on, and these setbacks did not stop The Duttons or the show.
Thanks to a much appreciated invitation from Yakov Smirnoff the Duttons were able to move their show to his theater in Branson for the fall and Christmas Season. For Amy’s situation, sheer determination got her through the Christmas season to now, without missing a single performance.
Her strength in the face of such a strong challenge inspired her family.
“Quite frankly, none of us believed that Amy would be doing so well through her chemo treatments,” says older brother Tim. “Amy honestly has been an inspiration through her whole experience. She hasn’t missed a single show. And while I know she has days where she doesn’t feel well, she never lets it show on stage, and her determination to beat this is amazing.”
Amy has almost completed her chemotherapy treatments and expects to complete her program by the end of February.
While performing in Arizona, the family will also be working with those who are getting the Branson theater ready following the fire.
“The Dutton Theater in Branson is going through what I would call a facelift,” Sheila said. “The lobby is being re-built, everything has been cleaned and a whole new facade is being prepared for the front. While this is not an experience we would have chosen to go through, we are so grateful that we have this wonderful opportunity to make improvements to our theater, and are looking forward to getting back open there mid-April of 2023.”
The Branson fire ended up bringing a benefit to the Mesa Theater.
“While we were making improvements to Branson, it only made sense to upgrade the Mesa sound and lights at the same time,” says Tim. “We brought a whole cadre of new lights and effects that we are in the process of installing here at the Dutton Theater, Mesa.”
The Duttons will be performing in their Mesa location Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays starting January 19 and will perform through April 1. Tickets are available by calling 480-840-6874 or by visiting their website at www.theduttons.com/tickets
