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| photo courtesy BroadwayLA |
A version of my review originally appeared at
soundcheck.ocregister.com
After 50 years in showbiz, Donny Osmond can still send ladies’ hearts a flutter like few others.
That fact was clear during the West Coast
premiere of “Donny & Marie: Christmas in Los Angeles,” currently running through Dec.
23 at the Pantages Theatre.
(A previous version went to Broadway in 2010, as
well as Detroit,
Chicago and Toronto the following
year.)
Donny - still debonair at 55 - thrilled longtime local fan Pearl by asking her to
come onstage. The Orange resident, seated in
the front row, received a flower embedded with a special camera lens documenting
that moment and an autograph.
Marie is no slouch in the excitability department, either. The
sexy singer, 53, invited a happy, yet nervous male audience member to be her
sing and dance partner. Their off-kilter duet on “Blue Christmas” was
hilarious. Later, Marie ventured into the crowd and planted big red lipstick
kisses on various men’s heads.
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| BroadwayLA |
The Osmond siblings rarely seem to be away from the
spotlight for long.
He hosts a radio show, guests on Susan Boyle’s new album
"Standing Ovation" and is working on a new studio effort (reportedly with Todd Rundgren) due next
year.
She can be seen weekday mornings on Marie!, a new Hallmark Channel talk
show.
Tuesday night in Hollywood, the spectacular two-hour show
featured snippets or entire portions of nearly 50 songs that spanned the
dynamic duo’s entire career - right up to the title track from their eponymous 2011
country/pop album. Half the selections were holiday themed.
For those who haven’t caught the pair’s ongoing show engagement
at The Flamingo Las Vegas, the robust vocals, dazzling costume changes, moving set
pieces and dance routines here were the next best thing.
Backed by a sleek nine-piece band,
plus eight dancers, Donny
& Marie opened with the high energy “We Need a Little Christmas,”
popularized by Andy Williams. The show’s pacing was top notch (as you’d
expect
from TV variety show veterans) and the good-natured banter included
plenty of
references to Marie’s NutriSystem affiliation and both their stints on
“Dancing
with the Stars.” I could have done without so many medleys, but that’s a
minor
quibble.
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| BroadwayLA |
Several older numbers were accompanied by archival
television clips.
Marie’s “Paper Roses” (she only sang a couple lines),
Donny’s “Puppy Love” (there were audible squeals from middle aged women) and
The Osmond Family’s “Yo-Yo” (Donny ably recreated an old routine with the male
dancers) were two examples.
In the second show segment, his moving version of “Moon River”
was a tribute to entertainer Williams, who recently passed away and gave
The Osmonds’ career a jump start in the 1960s.
Elsewhere, a major part of the show was devoted to Donny
& Marie’s various star turns on Broadway: “The King & I,” “Beauty and
the Beast,” "Little Johnny Jones," “The Sound of Music,” “Wicked,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
Each had their shining moments. Marie’s came with the
Requiem Mass' operatic “Pie Jesu”; Donny impressed most with a sizzling,
electronic-tinged revamp of his big late ‘80s hit “Solider of Love” and a fun
mash-up that incorporated Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite,” Kool & the Gang’s
“Celebration,” Psy’s “Gangnam Style” and a melody from the Stones’ “Start Me
Up.” One pleasant surprise involved the pair’s duet on a nod to
the Brian Setzer Orchestra’s annual holiday extravaganzas. They did “Santa
Claus is Coming to Town” with ‘Rock This Town,” “Jump, Jive ‘n’ Wail” and “This
Cat’s on a Hot Tin Roof.”
“Christmas in Los
Angeles” is highly recommended.
Remaining shows: 8 p.m. Tuesdays- Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 p.m. Sundays
through Dec. 23, Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd.
$25-$128. Recommended for ages 8 and up; no one under 5 admitted. www.BroadwayLA.org,
ticketmaster.com, (800) 982-2787. Donny & Marie also begin an 11-night stand at London’s O2 Arena on
Jan. 20.
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