Hull New Theatre – until 22nd October 2022
Reviewed by Catherine McWilliams
3***
In the early 1970s it felt like The Osmonds were everywhere, a family of incredibly talented young musicians from Utah. They were phenomenally successful whether as a group or as soloists, selling over one hundred million records. The Osmonds is a new musical, with the story by Jay Osmond and tells the family’s story and what a story it is.
The Osmonds is narrated throughout by Jay Osmond (Alex Lodge) who tells us that he was the drummer, the one always at the back, the one who saw everything that was happening. It takes us back to the very beginning when Alan, Merrill, Wayne and Jay were young children singing barber shop style to raise some money for better hearing aids for their older brothers. They then appeared on The Andy Williams Show and quickly became regulars, with Donny eventually appearing with them too. They then got picked up by a record label and their rise to meteoric stardom started. Of course, the story is interspersed with the music that The Osmonds sang, but it has some interesting choices of music, with some of the songs being not so well known.
The music is superb throughout with the Band led by Will Joy (somewhere off stage) providing excellent backing for The Osmonds. The harmonies in all the songs were excellent and I feel that this was a particular strength of the show. Special mention should go to the young cast who played the young Osmonds, such superb singing at such a young age, they stole the show each time they appeared on stage. Georgia Lennon as Marie Osmond has an excellent country voice and I particularly enjoyed Ryan Anderson’s (Merrill) rendition of The Proud One.
Ryan Anderson (Merrill), Jamie Chatterton (Alan), Alex Lodge (Jay), Danny Nattrass (Wayne) and Joseph Peacock (Donny) gelled together wonderfully as The Osmonds and Bill Deamer’s chorography gave their musical performances a totally authentic 1970’s feel. Lucy Osborne’s set and costumes added to that 1970’s feel.
At times this is a difficult watch, these are after all young children and George Osmond (Charlie Allen) their father ran the family like a military unit. Some of the interactions he has with his children are heart-breaking as they struggle to learn something or even don’t want to perform anymore. Charlie Allen plays George Osmond superbly, never shifting from his stance that family is everything and everything has to be for the family, constantly maintaining an icy stance.
This is a long performance and I do wonder if perhaps some of Jay’s speeches could be cut back a little. Having said that this is a story well worth the telling and I strongly suspect it only touched the tip of the ice berg, surely someone will pick it up for a tv mini-series.
The audience were on their feet at the end of the performance to give this talented cast a standing ovation and to sing along to some of the hits. They were buzzing as they went out.
Full of fabulous music and vibrant performances this is a show that will stay with you, it has a story that should be told. Ultimately The Osmonds was far more thought provoking than I expected.