The Osmonds Musical at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre - Review

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Wed 16 Mar 2022 - Sat 19 Mar 2022

There's been a raft of jukebox musicals in recent years, so it was only a matter of time before the spotlight turned on the singing family sensation The Osmonds. This new musical brings together a raft of their hits with their story from childhood into superstardom.

The Osmonds were a Mormon family of nine children brought up by a strict father in Utah. Four of the brothers, Merrill, Alan, Jay and Wayne, formed a child barbershop quartet initially to raise money for hearing aids for two of their brothers but they quickly became successful and reached the attention of one of the huge stars of the time Andy Williams, who gave them a slot on his show.



The four became five as younger brother Donny joined and, after being an audience favourite with Andy Williams, they struck out as a band on their own – and were soon one of the most successful groups in the world, spawning the phase 'Osmondmania'.

The musical is based on Jay Osmond's memoir, co-written by director Shaun Kerrison and musical supervisor Julian Bigg, and as such, it is told from Jay's point of view. Centre stage is given to Alex Lodge's Jay as he acts as narrator and actor, taking the audience through the developments and giving peeks into the family life. Whether it is because Jay is unwilling to rock the boat with his family or because his focus for this musical is light-hearted entertainment, any feuds or problems within the family are kept largely out of the story.

Instead what we have is a tale of a family very driven to succeed and a family for whom their close bonds were everything. Once sister Marie (Georgia Lennon) and younger brother Jimmy (Tristan Whincup) also became performers, the family were among the best known on the globe.

In true jukebox musical style, the show features a host of songs performed by various Osmonds including 'One Way Ticket to Anywhere', 'Puppy Love', 'Long Haired Lover From Liverpool', 'Crazy Horses' and 'Love Me For A Reason' and we also see Andy Williams (Alex Cardall) performing 'Music to Watch Girls By'.

Lucy Osborne's sets and costumes are multicoloured and hugely reminiscent of the seventies with shiny satin shirts, wide flared trousers and rhinestones galore. Bill Deamer's choreography and musical staging brings us synchronised performances from the band including moves inspired by their famous karate-style dancing, which, Jay tells us, they learned direct from Chuck Norris.



With the story taking us right back to infancy, there are some great performances from the child Osmonds, played by Jasper Penny, Harvey Loakes, Lonan Johnstone, Austin Redwood, Matthias Green and Austin Riley singing both as quartets and solo.

Alongside the story of their rise to stardom, there's also a touch of humour in the character of Wendy from Manchester, who believes herself to be the Osmonds' 'Number One Fan.' Periodically Wendy (Katy Hards) appears on stage to read her latest letter to Jay in which she gushes love for the band – a love she continues to hold for decades.

There's lots of fun to be had in this musical. While the story no doubt has its serious side, much of that is hidden behind the glitzy costumes, fancy dance moves and songs. And there is a real connection between the audience, many of whom could clearly battle Wendy for the title of Number One Fan even after all these years. While The Osmonds is a tale of nostalgia, family dynamics and triumph over adversity it's also packed full of songs, which no doubt hold special memories for many of the audience.

At Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until March 19, see www.grandtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/the-osmonds-musical for details. The show also plays Birmingham Alexandra Theatre on October 24-29, www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-osmonds-a-new-musical/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham

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!date 16/03/2022 -- 19/03/2022
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