York Grand Opera House – until Saturday 6 August 2022
5*****
I’m a bit too young to have appreciated the music of The Osmonds when they first released it. When 9 year old Little Jimmy Osmond was Number 1 in 1972 I was still a babe in arms. And for all you trivia lovers out there, he is still the youngest person to ever have a number one record!
The original 4 boys – Alan (Jamie Chatterton), Wayne (Danny Nattress), Merrill (Ryan Anderon) and Jay (Alex Lodge) began singing to raise money to buy hearing aids for their two oldest brothers Virl and Tom. After earning the money and receiving some minor fame, their father took the young boys to California for an audition, the audition didn’t happen so they went to visit Disney while they were in the area instead. The boys sang with a Barbershop quartet in the park and they were discovered. They were soon signed to appear on the Andy WIlliams show. They were hard working and famous. Donny (Joseph Peacock) and Marie (Georgia Lennon) were added to the mix as they got older and the band became world wide superstars.
Unfortunately bad advice and management in the 80’s led to a financial crisis. The choice being to declare bankruptcy and lose the Osmond name or work hard to recoup the $80 million debt. Hard work followed and a 2 year world tour cleared the debts but after the tour the family never sang again together for over 20 years until they joined up to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
Alex Lodge is perfect in the role of Jay Osmond, narrating the story of his life – including their loving mother Olive (Nicola Bryan) and authoritarian father George (Charlie Allen) who trained the children military style. Waking them at 4.30am to practise their singing, instrument playing and smiles. Lodge’s easy charm and mannerisms make it look like he is really reminiscing about his past.
The child actors in the cast need a massive special mention, on press night we watched Herbie Byers (Donny), Jayden Harris (Alan), Austin Redwood (Wayne), Dexter Seaton (Merrill), Miles Redwood (Jay) and Austin Riley (Jimmy). All amazingly talented, especially, in my opinion, Austin Riley as Jimmy.
The tag line for the show is “one family – one hundred million records” and the production is packed full of songs that everyone will recognise including Paper Roses, Puppy Love, One Bad Apple and my favourite Love Me For a Reason. All played by a live band (Will Joy, Tom Slade, Alistair McMath and Adam ‘Twenny’Sheffield).
Bill Deamers choreography echo’s the original moves and Lucy Osborne’s costumes set the right tone for nostalgia too. I liked the way the boys kept in their colours. Ben Cracknell’s lighting and Dan Samsons sound complimented Shaun Kerrisons direction. This is a joy of a show from Aria Entertainment, proving that Katy Lipson really has got the golden touch.
My companion on press night was a huge fan of the Osmonds and, in a theatre packed with ladies of a certain age, it seemed there were a lot of fans in the audience, very obviously having a wonderful time. Whether an original fan or a discoverer of their music later on, this is a fantastic show that shouldn’t be missed