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
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
Related Stories
View More Las Vegas Stories
Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Potter Experience - A Parody by Dan and Jeff continues to cast a spell on Las Vegas! The hit, family-friendly show celebrated its 1000th performance at The Magic Attic showroom inside Horseshoe Las Vegas on Thursday, March 16, 2023. Check out photos here!
From entertaining the troops around the world to headlining the top comedy clubs and cruise ships, comedian Don Barnhart sets the watermark high with his own residency in Las Vegas.
The 19th Annual College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame will honor those who have significantly impacted performing art, visual arts, and architecture in Southern Nevada. Iconic comedy club owner, Emmy, and SAG Award-winning actor, comedian, and writer, Brad Garrett, is known for his role as Robert Barone on the television series Everybody Loves Raymond. The gala celebration will be held in the Ballroom in the UNLV Student Union at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on March 21.
The UNLV Performing Arts Center welcomes sought-after GRAMMY-Award winning pianist Emanuel Ax to Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall on Friday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m.
From This Author - Kevin Pollack
Interview: Andy Grammer Talks Touring with Fitz and The Tantrums and New MusicAugust 15, 2022
Multiplatinum troubadour Andy Grammer continues to engage, energize and empower audiences with stomping stadium-size pop anthems meant to be shared at full volume. His observations and affirmations pick you back up when you need it, affirm your potential and encourage you to keep going. His catalog consists of numerous bona fide hits, including the quadruple-platinum 'Honey, I'm Good,' platinum singles 'Keep Your Head Up,' 'Fine By Me,' 'Don't Give Up On Me,' 'Fresh Eyes,''Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah),'gold single 'I Found You,' and the gold albums Andy Grammar and Magazines Or Novels. He has quietly generated billions of streams and lent his music to films such as Five Feet Apart. When 'Don't Give Up On Me' soundtracked ESPN's 13th Annual V Week for Cancer Reach, he garnered a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction and a Clio Award.
Interview: Five For Fighting's John Ondrasik Talks New Tour, Musical Theatre and ComposingAugust 8, 2022
Five for Fighting, featuring Grammy® nominated singer-songwriter John Ondrasik, will embark on a national 2022 16-city tour from July 22-August 12. The tour kicks off in Burnsville, Minnesota, with supporting act, The Verve Pipe, as Five For Fighting's Ondrasik will perform mega-hits such as Superman, 100 Years, and many more. The 16-city tour will also including stops in Atlantic City, New Jersey; St. Louis, Missouri; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and more.
Interview: Michael Bublé Talks New 'Higher' Tour and New AlbumAugust 8, 2022
Michael Bublé started singing at age four in his family's home in Burnaby, Canada and hasn't stopped since that time. His self-titled debut album on Reprise Records was released in 2005. A series of multi-platinum, No. 1 albums followed including Call Me Irresponsible, Crazy Love, To Be Loved and Christmas. His most recent album Love debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200. He has sold over 75 million albums during the course of his extraordinary career. His Christmas album,released ten years ago continues to sell and stream in the millions and billions and his voice has become synonymous with the holiday season. As a performer, Bublé has enjoyed enormous success these past several decades as one of the most exciting global touring artists out there with sold out shows in over 30 countries. His most recent tour,'An Evening With Michael Bublé' from 2019-2022 was seen by over a million fans around the world. He loves hockey, fantasy football, TikTok, and singing. He is the proud father of Noah, Eli and Vida.
Interview: Josh Groban Talks New Album, 'Harmony', New Tour, and New Livestream SpecialJune 23, 2022
Tony®, EMMY®, and four-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer, songwriter, actor, and philanthropist Josh Groban possesses one of the most outstanding and instantly recognizable voices in music. Read our interview about his new album, tour and special!
BWW Interview: Dennis DeYoung, Legendary Voice of STYX, Talks His Musical HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME and Composing for Musical TheatreJune 2, 2022
Dennis DeYoung is a singer-songwriter, musician and producer. He is a founding member of the rock band Styx as primary songwriter, lead vocalist and keyboardist, a tenure that lasted from 1970 until June, 1999. Styx has sold 30 million records worldwide and is the only band to have four triple platinum albums in a row. His song 'Babe' went to number one on the Billboard charts, won Songwriter Magazine's song of the year and was also rewarded the People's Choice award for best song in 1980. He has also penned eight top ten singles in America and had four number ones in Canada. They include 'Come Sail Away', 'Lady', 'Best of Times', 'Mr. Roboto', 'Desert Moon', 'Show Me the Way', and 'Don't Let it End'. He starred in the 20th anniversary tour of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson and Irene Cara for which he received a Joseph Jefferson nomination in Chicago for Best Supporting Actor. He has not only written the score for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but also composed a new score for a version of 101 Dalmatians that toured in 2009 directed by Tony Award winning director Jerry Zaks. His Hunchback also won a Joseph Jefferson award for Best Musical in 2009.
