The Osmonds: A new musical is coming to Northampton's Royal & Derngate next year

Jay Osmond tells the true story of The Osmonds, who lived a remarkable life recording chart-topping albums and selling out vast arena concerts... until one bad decision cost them everything
By Megan Hillery
Published 19th Jul 2021, 16:06 BST
Updated 19th Jul 2021, 16:26 BST
The Osmonds. Photo: Getty ImagesThe Osmonds. Photo: Getty Images
The Osmonds. Photo: Getty Images

A musical starring chart-topping legends, The Osmonds, is coming to Northampton's Royal & Derngate theatre as part of their UK and Ireland tour next year.

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.

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The musical will premiere at Leicester's Curve on February 3, 2022 as part of a UK and Ireland Tour that will run through to December 3, 2022 and it will be coming to the Royal & Derngate theatre in Northampton from Tuesday, May 3 to Saturday May 7, 2022.

The musical is based on the true story of The Osmonds, as told by Jay Osmond.The musical is based on the true story of The Osmonds, as told by Jay Osmond.
The musical is based on the true story of The Osmonds, as told by Jay Osmond.

The story of The Osmond family quintet will be told from the perspective of drummer, Jay Osmond, who said: "I’ve wanted to tell my story for such a long time and the opportunity to create this beautiful musical, a sort of ‘living autobiography’, seemed the perfect way to do so.

"I spent my whole life performing live - on stage, on TV specials, in arenas - so the buzz of live theatre felt like the perfect place for me.

"There were some difficult times in my life, and some big hurdles to overcome and this musical will tell people things that will surprise them… but despite that trouble, when you look back and think of the fans, the music, the once in a lifetime things we did - it’s joyful. I guess I want to do this now to try to spread a little bit of that joy.

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"I’ll know I’ve done a good job telling this story if I stand at the back of the theatre and see people waving their arms in the air, singing along and dancing in the aisles. I just want people to be enjoying themselves. I guess that is in the Osmonds' DNA.”

From their star residency on The Andy Williams Show in the sixties, to pop stars and ‘Osmondmania’ in the seventies, to the arrival of popular variety TV show The Donny & Marie Show, from 1976 to 1979, The Osmonds lived a remarkable life recording chart-topping albums, selling out vast arena concerts and making record-breaking TV shows - until one bad decision cost them everything.

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, Long Haired Lover From Liverpool, Paper Roses and many more.

The Osmonds have sold over 100 million records worldwide and won 59 Gold and Platinum awards and now Jay Osmond pulls back the curtain to reveal the real family behind all these hits: parents George and Olive Osmond and their nine children, Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie and Jimmy.

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The Osmonds: A New Musical has a story by Jay Osmond and book by Julian Bigg and Shaun Kerrison and will be directed by Shaun Kerrison, with choreography and musical staging by Bill Deamer.

The full casting is yet to be announced.