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Last Night, I had the pleasure of being invited to the Press Night of The Osmonds - a New Musical at the Grand Opera House, York. The show was wonderful. Told through the eyes of (as well as being written by) Jay Osmond, the show takes the audience through the story of the magnificent Osmond family. It shows the highs and lows of their record-breaking career with a toe-tapping score packed full of The Osmond's' smash hits.
The show started strong with an energetic performance of 'One way ticket to anywhere'. Full of life and colour - this was the perfect choice for the opening as it left the audience wanting more from the very beginning.
The character of 'Jay Osmond' played magnificently by Alex Lodge leads the show. Lodge performs the role of Jay with wit, emotion and heart - paired with his outstanding vocal talent and comedic timing make for a standout performance. Ryan Anderson takes on the role of Merrill Osmond - We see through Anderson's fantastic performance: Merrill's emotion and feeling. To this Ryan also brings incredible vocals as do all of the Osmond brothers!
The role of Donny Osmond was performed by Joseph Peacock who shone throughout the show. His vocals were stunning and his energy was fantastic. Another standout performance for me.
The roles of Alan and Wayne Osmond were played by Jamie Chatterton and Danny Nattrass respectively, who both brought some magnificent vocals and heartfelt characters to the show and completed the Osmond Family.
Georgia Lennon stole the show in the role of Marie Osmond. Georgia brings comedy and feeling to the role of Marie as well as her stunning vocal talent which brought the house down after her rendition of 'Paper Roses'. The chemistry between Lennon and Peacock during the Donny and Marie show scenes worked fantastically!
The show explores some of the hardships the Osmond's encountered throughout their life and the tough 'training' they went through as children at the hands of their father George Osmond (played by Charlie Allen who perfectly executed his cold, stern character) and their loving mother played warmly by Nicola Bryan.
The children in the show played a wonderful part and were definitely an audience favourite. Miles Redwood performed the role of young Jay Osmond who was wonderful, along with his brothers Dexter Seaton as Merrill, Jayden Harris as Alan and Austin Redwood as Wayne completing the Original four. Each child brought a wonderful characterisation to their performance and all hold so much star quality.
Young Donny Osmond was performed by Herbie Byers who gave an exquisite rendition of You are my sunshine, accompanied by Alex Cardall's brilliant performance as Andy Williams. The final young Osmond in the show was Jimmy, played by Austin Riley who brought a burst of life onto the stage with him you couldn't help but smile at his energetic performance of 'Long Haired Lover From Liverpool'.
The choreography was slick and well executed. The lighting and set were simple yet effective and added lots of colour and excitement to the musical numbers.
I found the show to be very long... however when it is packed with every fan favourite and smash hit of the Osmonds, how could you expect anything less. It was super enjoyable nonetheless! The show finished with a fantastic finale encouraging the audience to be up on their feet dancing and singing along. Overall, If you haven't seen it already and you can get a 'One Way Ticket to Anywhere' then book one for The Osmonds - a New Musical - Ticket information can be found on their website: https://theosmondsmusical.co.uk/tour-dates/ - Currently at the York Grand Opera House until SATURDAY! 'I'm Leaving it all up to you' to get your tickets now, I promise you won't be 'Goin Home' disappointed! 3rd August 2022
Robbie Davies | Robbie's Backstage Bants
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