Top row, l. to r. – Alan, Donny, Marie, Wayne. Bottom row, l. to r. – Merrill, Jimmy, Jay

For more than half a century, the performing Osmonds (Alan, Wayne, Merril, Jay, Donny, Marie, and Jimmy) have graced stages around the world with their spectacular performances and have sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

America’s first family of music marked their 50th anniversary in showbiz with a gala performance. On 14 March 2008, they continued the celebration by performing Live on Good Morning America.

Top (l. to r.) Merrill and Wayne. Bottom (l. to r.) Jay and Alan.

It all started with a four-part harmony quartet. The late George Virl Osmond, Sr., the patriarch of the Osmond family, loved to sing and taught his sons Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay the tight harmonies of a barbershop quartet. Soon the boys were performing in and around their native Ogden, Utah. In time, their father took the family on a trip to California so that the boys could meet Lawrence Welk. Unfortunately, Welk was too busy to meet with them. However, all was not lost. Disneyland hired them to perform at the park. Walt Disney took a personal interest in them and featured them in a Disney television special.

Andy Williams standing behind (from l. to r.) Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay

When Jay Emerson Williams, the father of the crooner of “Moon River” Andy Williams, saw Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay on the special, he called his son and told him to book the Osmond Brothers on his variety show, which he did. The Osmond Brothers appeared regularly on The Andy Williams Show from 1962 to 1969. Donny became part of the group in 1963. As the years went by, Marie and Jimmy were also introduced on the show.

Their first album, Osmonds, released in 1970. More albums followed, including Homemade (1971); Phase III, The Osmonds Live, and Crazy Horses (1972); The Plan (1973); and Love Me for a Reason (1974). Their last albums with MGM came in 1975, The Proud One and Around the World: Live in Concert. The first six albums were gold; the last three were silver.

On 14 October 2019, the original Osmond Brothers quartet, consisting of Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay reunited for CBS’ The Talk to celebrate their sister Marie’s 60th birthday. It would be the last appearance for the lineup.

Now, Osmond fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland are gearing up for a brand-new performance by an all-new cast of Osmonds. Jay Wesley Osmond, the backup singer and drummer with the Osmond Brothers, pulls back the curtain to reveal the family behind the hits: parents George and Olive Osmond and their nine children, Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie, and Jimmy.

(l. to r.) Danny Nattrass (Wayne), Alex Lodge (Jay), Ryan Anderson (Merrill), Jamie Chatterton (Alan), and Joseph Peacock (Donny) (Oliver Rosser, Feast Creative)

Jay’s stage production, The Osmonds: A New Musical is the true story of five brothers from Ogden, Utah, who became pop sensations. The musical will launch a tour of the U.K. and Ireland, premiering at Leicester’s Curve, starting on 3 February 2022. The tour is booked to run until 3 December 2022, at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales. Alex Lodge plays Jay, Danny Nattrass plays Wayne, Jamie Chatterton plays Alan, Ryan Anderson plays Merrill, and Joseph Peacock plays Donny.

The story, which is told from the perspective of Jay Osmond, also has a companion book by Julian Bigg and Shaun Kerrison. The tour will be directed by Kerrison with choreography and musical staging by Bill Deamer, set and costume design by Lucy Osborne, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, and sound design by Dan Samson. The world premiere is produced by ROYO in partnership with Twins Entertainment, with Vicky Nojesproduktion, Krall Entertainment, Aria Entertainment, and Guy James Theatrical.

(l. to r.) Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny

The musical features ‘70s tunes made popular by the Osmonds like their #1 hit single, “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,” made popular by Donny, “Long Haired Lover from Liverpool,” made popular by Jimmy, and “Paper Roses,” made popular by Marie.

Jay said, “I am thrilled that we have found such dynamic and talented performers to play my brothers and me. We saw some brilliant actors in the auditions, and I was so impressed at the work people put in throughout the process. When these five guys walked in, they lit up the room with their smiles and raised the roof with their voices; I knew we’d found our boy band.”

He continued, “It is an honor to welcome Ryan Anderson, Jamie Chatterton, Alex Lodge, Jamie Nattrass, and Joseph Peacock to the family and I can’t wait for audiences to see what they can do. Their style, charm and talent will bring our music and story to a whole new generation, and you will ‘love them (for a reason)’ as much as we do.”