The Osmonds, A New Musical At The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton Review

Reviewed by Keith Mitchell

THE OSMONDS, A NEW MUSICAL
STORY BY JAY OSMOND

Off to the Mayflower Theatre to see The Osmonds musical. Access from the M27 via junction 3 eastbound or junction 5 westbound onto the M271 is reasonably easy but I would advise leaving plenty of time for arrival as there seems to be a huge number of traffic lights, all on red, every few hundred yards once off the motorway. Parking is only a five minute walk away from the venue and having arrived after 7pm, was a splendid price of just £2. The venue has tiered seating after the first six rows so the view is excellent. The staff were helpful, cheerful and friendly.

The show starts with an introduction by Jay Osmond which leads into the first number, One Way Ticket to Anywhere. This is a great start to the show with very high energy performance from the boys got the audience’s feet tapping. Jay narrates as the story unfolds from their very early childhood with their mother and father, who treats everything as a military exercise and their lives are highly regimented. We meet a girl fan from the UK who writes letters to Jay as his number one fan. She pops up regularly through the show leading to a meeting with him. Good performance laced with humour there. The young Osmonds appear as a group and individually throughout in flashbacks and must be complimented on their performances, with a special mention to Osian Slater as a young Donny and Fraser Fowkes who later brought the house down with Long Haired Lover from Liverpool. The show progresses through their early times getting on the Andy Williams show with plenty of nostalgia, starting as a barbershop quartet. One particular part where the child brothers and the adult brothers are on stage together was memorable.

One Bad Apple really got the audience going as the boys matched the sparkle of their outfits with their performance. Marie starts as a country singer and a rendition of Paper Roses was very well received. The undercurrent of tension as the boys grew older and more successful whilst still being regimented by their father starts to show. Let Me In completes the first half on a high.

The second half starts in 1974, again with a rousing and energetic first number, Having A Party. By the time Puppy Love appeared the audience were singing along and arm waving was beginning, clearly a fan favourite, excellently performed. And how the Donny and Marie show took forefront with the brothers being pushed more into the background. The massive loss of the family fortunes is played out after father steps back and the boys take responsibility for finances and dealing with studios, record companies and agents, with all the family involved in a passionate argument, stopped by their father who reminds them the family comes first. The story moves on to 2007 and with Love Me For A Reason the audience are now in good voice. He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother was well received. No show about the Osmonds would be complete without all the cast joining in with Crazy Horses, Down By The Lazy River Ohio and a reprise of One Bad Apple. Standing clapping audience singing along almost obligatory.

This is a fantastic musical. The choreography was excellent with many high energy slots. The ensemble not only performed well but were excellent in moving instruments, mikes and props when needed almost unnoticed. Musically the performance was very good and the cast all performed admirably and looked as if they were having an absolute blast and should be congratulated for giving the packed audience such entertainment. As I stated above the young lads were excellent and I must make special mention of father (Charlie Allen) who was totally believable as a martinet, Jay (Alex Lodge) who was on stage almost all of the time and performed really well and Tristan Whincup stepping in as Donny and putting in a very creditable performance.

The show lasts 2hours 40 minutes (including interval). I would highly recommend if you want some good acting, cracking music and an enjoyable night out you shouldn’t miss this show.

Rating:- 5 star

Ticket prices :- £15 – £44.50

Dates :- 8th November – 12th November 2022

Venue:- Mayflower Theatre
Commercial Road
Southampton
Hampshire
SO15 1GE
https://www.mayflower.org.uk

Box Office :- 02380 711811