(L-R) Jamie Chatterton, Georgia Lennon, Ryan Anderson and Danny Nattrass in The Osmonds A New Musical at the New Wimbledon Theatre, London. Picture: Pamela Raith
The Osmonds continues at the New Wimbledon Theatre, London until 27 August 2022 and tours until 3 December 2022.
Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
The matrons of Wimbledon were out in force revisiting their youth for this unashamedly jukebox musical about that 1970s phenomenon, the wholesome, squeaky-clean Osmond family.
It’s predictable, undemanding fare but lifelong fans of their 100-million-sale catalogue will have a whale of a time gorging themselves on a parade of their hits. Who can forget ‘Long Haired Lover From Liverpool’ (for which Jimmy Osmond later claimed he never received a dollar in royalties despite it selling a million) or the Paul Anka classic ‘Puppy Love’? Certainly not this adoring audience who knew every word and let us all know that they did, complete with arm-waving and Osmond T-shirts and banners.
With 20 women to every man in a packed auditorium, it was a throwback to a time when every teenage girl seemed to have a crush on Donny, the one who went on to have a successful solo career after the group had run its course, its end (until it re-formed 27 years later) hastened by a badly-advised business venture that landed them with $80 million debts.
The story of this Mormon family from Utah, strictly brought up army-style by a dictatorial father (Charlie Allen) who made them practice their harmonies and musical instruments before school from 4.30am in the morning, is narrated by Jay Osmond (the excellent Alex Lodge, but the real Jay who co-wrote the script with director Shaun Kerrison and musical supervisor Julian Bigg, popped in for the final sing-song).
It takes us from the beginnings in the 1950s with the four older brothers Alan, Merrill, Jay and Wayne originally a barber-shop quartet, augmented in the 1970s by Donny and Jimmy when the Osmonds really took off with hit after hit, Little Jimmy (Lyle Wren) becoming in 1972 the youngest ever (at nine) to have a No. 1 chart single.
The boys’ big break came in The Andy Williams Show where the cute, besuited Donny made his TV debut as a five year old (cue long “aaaahs” from the nostalgic mums).
It is good to see 2018 Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Alex Cardall’s cameo as much-loved crooner Williams but he deserves more substantial roles than this.
The quintet’s country-singer sister Marie’s big solo hit ‘ Paper Roses’ is somehow slipped into the narrative in Act I – Georgia Lennon in fine voice – but she was never part of the group until co-opted for the long-running Donny & Marie TV variety show in the later 1970s, a huge success until ratings dipped and the public wanted something less clean-cut and bland.
The duo’s top-ten hits ‘I’m Leaving It All Up to You’ and ‘Morning Side of the Mountain’ are woven into a sharper Act II but it is the zippy ‘It Takes Two’ that really sets the audience’s feet tapping.
All the big ones are there, ‘Thank God I’m A Country Boy’, ‘Love Me For a Reason’ and, finally, ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’ memorably among them, but cramming 30 numbers into 160 minutes with only rare bits of drama and little humour is too many.
Some of the earlier songs are samey and, let’s face it, dated. Three could easily have been ditched and ten minutes trimmed off a show that will have seemed long to all but the most devoted.
While the device of bringing in a starstruck groupie called Wendy from ‘oop north’ to lighten up the narrative, didn’t really work for me, there’s no complaints about the singing of a hard-working cast.
Ryan Anderson as Merrill, the Osmond who wanted to leave the group at 19 to marry his sweetheart but had to put that on hold until finally getting his father’s approval, and Joseph Peacock as Donny are particularly strong vocally while Lodge, Danny Nattrass (Wayne) and Jamie Chatterton (Alan) make the most of more limited opportunities.
Nicola Bryan is a suitably browbeaten Mrs Osmond, dominated by husband George, and the child actors playing the young versions are all well drilled under Bill Deamer’s trusty musical staging and Kerrison’s direction.
It is also a busy night for MD Will Joy and his hard-working band who play a big part in re-creating the ‘Osmond sound’. A vibrant set by Lucy Osborne who is also responsible for the outfits, adds colour to a show sure to delight a certain type of audience as it wends its way around the country for the next 14 weeks (and maybe into 2023). But I shall be surprised if the West End is where it ends up.
Jeremy Chapman
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