There's more to the Osmonds than Donny & Marie - We reviewED The New Musical by Jay osmOND @ THE GOH

Earning Brownie Points with the Mums!

I’ll be honest, my knowledge / interest in the Osmonds is nothing to write háome about, yes I know the names of Donny and Marie from their Las Vegas shows and Jimmy from his time on reality TV here in the UK but, past that, I couldn’t tell you anything else. Now my mum on the other hand was a big fan with it being in her era when I wasn’t even a thought or twinkle in her eye. This show was an eye opener into the positives and negatives of being part of an entertainment family dynasty and how fame can either bring you closer together or tear you apart.

The show opens up in a colour and sound attack of “One way Ticket to anywhere,” and then is narrated by Jay Osmond for the majority of the show played to perfection by Alex Lodge.

The show takes you on their journey from 4 young boys in a barber shop quartet raising money for hearing aids for their 2 older brothers to the dizzy heights of international stardom, the downturn in their fame and the loss of millions of dollars through bad financial management and a family divided who eventually reunite 26 years later.

The Osmonds were an institution in their time; singing, dancing and playing instruments first as a 4 piece, then a 5 piece and then dividing into their various acts separately with the Donnie and Marie Show, Jimmy and his success with Long Haired Lover from Liverpool. What really comes through though is that like the Jacksons, the Osmonds had a cold, authoritative father who ran a tight ship as if he was still in the army.

I don’t think I would be alone when I say that the child actors playing the young Osmonds really did steal the show and the audience's hearts with their performance, all singing and dancing with the tightest harmonies that you would normally only associate with very seasoned theatre stars. There are 3 groups of kids that play the roles in rotation, last night on stage was Charlie Stripp, Thomas Ryan, Joey Unit, Charlie Tumbridge, Nicholas Teixeira and Harrison Skinner, though we are sure whichever group you see, they will be amazing. Equally Joseph Peacock gave his role as Donny his all and really did give the audience a little bit of Donny with his cheeky winks, audience appreciation, slick dance moves and Donny-esk vocals.

From start to finish I actually felt like I was at an Osmonds concert with the audience singing, waving their arms in the air and shouting for more from Donnie….including my mum much to my horror! Moral of the review, if you want to get in the good books with your mum, auntie or granny this is the show to take them to!

The Osmonds Musical runs until Sat 16th April at The Grand Opera House Belfast, Tickets are available via this link - The Osmonds: A New Musical - Grand Opera House (goh.co.uk)