THEATRE NEWS: Donny Osmond returns to T.O.;
Railway Children auditions
8 MAR/11

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency

They may have called it puppy love — but almost four decades on, Dancap Productions is betting that the romance between Donny Osmond and Toronto theatre fans is something a little more enduring.

Dancap officials announced Monday that they have added a two-week July run of Donny & Marie, starring the erstwhile star of the Toronto production of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT and his singing sibling — at the Four Seasons Centre to a summer season that already includes runs of NEXT TO NORMAL and COME FLY AWAY.

At the same time, Dancap announced that Colm Wilkinson, who coincidentally was appearing in the Toronto production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at the same time as Osmond was appearing in JOSEPH, will join the summer line-up too. Colm Wilkinson In Concert: Broadway And Beyond will take to the stage of the Four Seasons for two shows only, Aug. 12 and 13. Finally, Dancap announced that the touring production of Broadway's GREEN DAY'S AMERICAN IDIOT will make its only scheduled Canadian stop at the Toronto Centre For the Arts, Dec. 28 through Jan. 15, as part of Dancap's subscription season.

On hand for the announcement the affable Osmond says he's looking forward to opening again in the city he called home for two years and still sees as his "second home." And he's certain he'll be a little more relaxed going into this show, which he and his sister have been doing for at the Flamingo Las Vegas for more than two years, than he was back when JOSEPH opened. "You can't imagine how nervous I was," he recalls. "I think everybody expected me to fail. All I remember is curtain up and curtain down."

Aside from a stint in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, however, he's not returned to the theatrical stage since, but with the youngest of his five sons attaining maturity, the grandfather of three is starting to get the itch again — and he figures he'll have the time to scratch it when his youngest flies the nest.

"When you do a show, you've got to do a three to six month commitment," he explains, adding that he's not prepared to commit that kind of time while he's still parenting. As for the current incarnation of Donny and Marie, which has just been signed for another two years in Vegas (and will make a stop in another American city later this year, he hinted), he's more than fine with that.

"We both knew it was inevitable we were going to get back together," he says of re-teaming with his sibling, his sister, his foil and his longtime performance partner. "And it all worked," he says, pointing to a polished show that features eight dancers and nine musicians in addition to the titular brother and sister act that give it all its cachet. And while he's enjoying riding the wave of nostalgia yet again, he's not anywhere close to tired of the cage in which that places him. "There is always reinvention," he insists. "There is always room to grow." While he admits that the whole Donny Osmond nostalgia thing could be considered a monkey on his back, he insists,"I kind of like that monkey."

Tickets for Donny & Marie and for the other two shows are available to Dancap subscribers today at 416-644-3665, with single tickets available at a later date.

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Producers of the forthcoming production of THE RAILWAY CHILDREN (which begins a summer run at the new Roundhouse Theatre on May 3) will host open auditions on Monday, March 14 for children to perform as part of the ensemble.

Auditions will be held in the Metro Convention Centre (255 Front St. W.) North Building, main lobby. Children 9 to 13 should arrive at 10 am to register, while children 14 to 16 should arrive at 2 pm — and all children must be accompanied by an adult. For further information, visit www.railwaychildren.ca