Review: THE OSMONDS - A NEW MUSICAL, Wolverhampton Grand - UK tour

Photo credit: Pamela Raith

“We’re having a party” is exactly how we felt after seeing this wonderfully colourful new musical. 

Based on the life of The Osmonds and written by Jay Osmond (who was in attendance), the show is extremely entertaining with the many, many classic Osmond tunes playing out throughout the production, but it also gives you an insight into the workings of perhaps one of the world’s most famous family groups.

As we walked to our seats, we were instantly hit with an array of colour on the floor of the stage and the backdrop which remains throughout the show.  The set, designed by Lucy Osborne, is reminiscent of a large television screen which symbolises the way The Osmonds grew up in front of our eyes.  The colour scheme is cleverly weaved into the costumes worn by ‘The Osmonds’ and gives a uniformity to the show. The band, under the musical direction of Will Joy, are placed at the very back of the set covered by a colourful curtain that pops up intermittently.  The band completely rock out during their performance of ‘Crazy Horses’ at the very end of show which was extremely well received by the audience.

The show opens with an argument between Jay and Alan Osmond with Jay wanting to leave the band.  We are then transported back in time to meet ‘The Young Osmonds’, a group of talented youngsters whose professionalism whilst on stage shines through.  A special mention must be given to Young Donny Osmond played by Matthias Green, who is adorable and funny in equal measure, capturing the cheeky nature of Donny himself.

The story is quite eye opening, down to the military style family life The Osmonds had growing up.  George Osmond (Charlie Allen) heads up the family and wakes his sons at 4.30am every morning to begin practicing and honing their craft.  This paid off, as The Osmonds were propelled into stardom after an appearance on the Andy Williams show.  Andy Williams, played by Alex Cardall, was an instigator in making The Osmonds the phenomenon’s they ended up.  Cardall plays Williams with star quality and the tone of his voice is perfect for the role.

We also meet a fan, 15-year-old ‘Wendy from Manchester’ who pops up every now and again reading  letters that she sent religiously to Jay Osmond throughout her life in the hope of meeting him one day……….and with most stories, it does have a happy ending.

Jay Osmond played by Alex Lodge, acts as a narrator for most of the show, telling of the struggles the family faced, the rivalry between them, especially when Donny and Marie branched off on their own.  The rest of The Osmonds felt inferior to them and it created tension in the band.  The fame and fortune came at a price and when the band were in debt for $80 million, the decision was made by Alan and Merrill, who became the “leaders” of the band, to file for bankruptcy, however this was swiftly denied by their father George who stated that if they did, they would lose The Osmonds name forever.  Between them the band worked and worked to pay off their debts.

The main Osmonds, Merrill (Ryan Anderson), Alan (Jamie Chatterton), Jay (Alex Lodge), Wayne (Danny Nattrass) and Donny (Joseph Peacock) work very well together.  They produce some spectacular musical numbers much to the delight of the audience.  There are a few times when the vocals aren’t as tight as they could be but for a relatively new production, there is time for this to be rectified.

The ensemble cast give some excellent performances with the energetic choreography by Bill Deamer.  There is a definite party vibe about this show and with some iconic Osmonds tunes thrown in, it makes for a great night.

The show ends when The Osmonds regrouped in 2008 and all performed together again.  With ‘Love Me For a Reason’ blasting out in the auditorium, there was a warm fuzzy feeling in the air and it was at this point we knew that this show has legs to run for a long time yet.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Emma Rowley

The Osmonds: A New Musical plays at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until 19 March, with tickets for select touring venues available here.