Celebrity

When it comes to ’70s stardom few bands could match the furore surrounding the Osmond brothers as they shot up the charts, taking the pop world by storm. Theirs was a story worth dramatising – and now Jay Osmond has done just that. Shire spoke to him ahead of The Osmonds: A New Musical arriving in Llandudno.

The Osmonds: A New Musical tells the true story of the five brothers from Utah who were pushed into the spotlight as children and went on to create smash hits, decade after decade. From their star residency on TV’s The Andy Williams Show from 1962 to 1969, to the ‘Osmond-mania’ of the early ’70s and The Donny & Marie Show, featuring their younger sister, The Osmonds were pop royalty – recording chart-topping albums, selling out arena concerts and making record-breaking television specials. They sold over 100 million records and won 59 gold and platinum awards.Now Jay Osmond pulls back the curtain to reveal the real family behind all the hits: parents George and Olive and their nine children: Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie and Jimmy.

Musical memoir

The musical features a list of 1970s anthems, including ‘One Bad Apple’, ‘Down by the Lazy River’, ‘Crazy Horses’, ‘Let Me In’, ‘Love Me For A Reason’, ‘(We’re) Having A Party’, ‘Puppy Love’, ‘Paper Roses’ and more. Jay explains how it came about.

“I wrote this book called Stages about my life,

and it turned into more of a travelogue. I always wanted to do a backstage version that included not only the good times but the bad and sad times too. A friend said: ‘Why don’t you write a musical memoir and put it on stage?’ And I thought: ‘Exactly!’ I have always loved the theatre, and it was one last frontier to conquer.

A family affair

“I wrote from the heart. It was hard – I had to play my drums a lot to get my emotions out – but it all boiled down to this: why did we do what we did? It was because we wanted to help people – to use Jay with the show’s cast our talents to do good in the world. I wanted to get that purpose across. I think you can do anything in life if you have a purpose. “The story is about the four brothers who were there at the start. It begins at the 50th anniversary and then “I want people here to know how they helped me and my family. goes way back. Each of us has a different perspective, so this is very much mine.” Jay started his barbershop quartet with They are part of The Osmonds” Alan, Wayne and Merrill to fund hearing aids for their older brothers, Virl and Tom. They were ‘discovered’ by Walt Disney and TV appearances brought global fame. Donny joined the group, and international tours appearances transformed them into pop royalty. It was the group’s thousands of fans in the UK who made him determined that the show should have its premiere here. “Osmondmania happened everywhere, but there was something about the UK – our family was so accepted and so loved here. We have been to almost every place on the tour list at some point, and they hold so many memories. We’ll go to Canada and America too, sure – but it feels right to begin here. I want people here to know how much they have helped me and my family. They are part of The Osmonds.”

The Osmonds: A New Musical

Venue Cymru, Llandudno Tuesday 29th November –Saturday 3rd December

Tickets £15-£48 venuecymru.co.uk