Interview: Donny Osmond Talks New Vegas Show, His New Album, the Masked Singer, Andrew Lloyd Webber & More
Now on stage in Las Vegas - Donny Osmond
By: Kevin Pollack May. 18, 2022
The One. The Only. Donny Osmond sits down with BroadwayWorld's Kevin Pollack backstage before his brand-new Las Vegas show, DONNY.
Anyone who ever grew up on The Osmonds would know that they were one of the first "boy bands" who all grew up to be entertainers in their own way. But it was Donny Osmond who grew up to be a big star. Not only has he had an impeccable career, but his voice has not changed at all. His new show DONNY, playing at Harrah's Casino in Las Vegas, is Osmond's brand-new show showcasing his career in music, TV, and film.Having previously played a Vegas engagement with his sister Marie, their residency at the Flamingo was supposed to be 3 months, but turned into 13 years!! Two years ago, they closed the show, and Marie left to work on her own projects, which left Donny the opportunity to plan a brand-new show.
Kicking off the show with his 90's hit, "Soldier of Love," Osmond ran out onstage ready to show off his dance skills with some incredible backup dancers. Having previously won Dancing with the Stars, Osmond proved that he still has it. Other highlighted songs included his biggest hit, "Puppy Love", "Who", and other songs off his latest album, Start Again. But, coming from a younger generation, the two songs that stood out to me were "Close Every Door" from when Osmond portrayed Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Disney's Mulan, which included an incredible stick-fighting dance sequence featuring his superb backup dancers doing flips and twirls in the air.
Osmond also paid tribute to many important people in his life. Including Osmond's tribute to his brothers with "One Bad Apple" with exact choreography from the early TV show, with four others dancers playing his brothers, "Moon River" with a video tribute to Andy Williams who was like a father figure to The Osmonds, his sister Marie with a gorgeous rendition of The Beatles' "In My Life" and lastly, a tribute to Las Vegas with a medley of "Donny's Back in Town" and lavish, sparkly Vegas dance number, "Viva Las Vegas" and "Luck Be a Lady".
The most prominent highlight was Osmond's 10-minute long rap, an "Auto-rap-ography", which covered his entire career meticulously. It was one of the coolest multimedia experience one could have. To sum up your entire career in 10 minutes is remarkable in itself. The number shows his early days on The Andy Williams show, Donnie & Marie's TV shows, and clips of Osmond's TV and film career. (Osmond doesn't mind making fun of himself with all the outfits he had to wear throughout the years.)
The second half of the show consisted of Osmond throwing all of his 65 albums up on the screen for requests from the audience, and he'd sing it as best as he can. A bold move on Osmond's part, but he shows the audience that he still knows his own material from decades past. Rounding out the show, Osmond and his dancers came out and lit up the stage with "Dance Again," a pop explosion of a number from his new album, Start Again, reminiscent to Bruno Mars or Robin Thicke. DONNY is a career-spanning spectacle that everyone and their mothers should go see. Osmond is the ultimate entertainer and further proves his staying power on the Las Vegas strip as the new "King of Vegas".
For more information on Donny Osmond or to get tickets, visit his website at www.donny.com
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