Today in Las Vegas Magazine

Love & Laughter with Donny & Marie

Hands-up, those of you who grew up watching “Donny & Marie.” We’re guessing that’s a lot judging from the anticipation and buzz their upcoming show is creating on the Strip. We’re also guessing that’s the main reason America’s sweethearts and favorite brother and sister team are headlining the Strip after 29 years.

They almost need no introduction, save for those who were born in the eighties and beyond, but even then, there was the Donny & Marie talk show which ran for two years, from 1998 – 2000.

The “a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll” duo got their break more than 30 years ago, in January 1976, when they became the youngest entertainers in TV history to host their own variety show. Think back now, and it all comes rushing in – the ice-skating number intro, comedy skits and a lot of singing. Plus, who can forget the musical finale complete with the cascade of balloons and the closing song, “May Tomorrow Be A Perfect Day”? C’mon – we know you’re humming it right now.

In between, the pair has never been away from the spotlight and entertainment world, either together with the rest of the Osmond family for special shows and reunions; or apart, each venturing on solo careers as singer, championship race car driver, talk show and game show host, author and actor in Donny’s case; and singer, entrepreneur and doll designer, spokesperson, and Broadway and TV star in Marie’s case.

Their popularity is undeniable, even when performing together with the rest of their siblings as The Osmond Family. Tickets to their Vegas show last year sold-out in a matter of minutes and prompted the addition of another night.

More recently, Marie gained national attention as she appeared as a celebrity contestant on the fifth season of the hit ABC TV show, “Dancing With The Stars.” Coupled with a personal tragedy and (the now infamous) fainting spell, Marie still managed to make it all the way to the ‘Top Three.’

For Donald Clark Osmond, aka Donny, he found success and acclaim post-Donny and Marie, in musical theater – starring in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream-coat. He returned to Broadway in 2006, in the role of Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, to rave reviews. He has numerous guest spots in TV shows such as Friends, Diagnosis Murder and the animated TV series Johnny Bravo. He also hosts the British version of the game show Identity on BBC Two during the daytime.

Although mark this date – Tuesday, September 9, is a red-letter day and the start of the Donny and Marie show on The Strip. The 90-minute extravaganza at the Flamingo promises a collection of Donny and Marie’s greatest hits like “Paper Roses,” “Make the World Go Away,” “I’m Leaving It (All) Up To You,” “Morning Side of the Mountain,” “Puppy Love,” “Soldier of Love,” “Deep Purple” and others. Plus, the duo are backed by a sizeable cast of dancers, as well multiple video screens, all coming together as one multi-media spectacle on a custom-designed stage. The pair are pulling out all the stops to deliver a show that sends you reminiscing about the ‘good old days’ when you were growing up, but also injecting elements of the now, for the younger set.

May you enjoy the show and to quote Donny and Marie, “May you find love and laughter along the way.”

-Rachel M. Sugay