Marie Osmond Goes Solo
Las Vegas New Bureau
by John Katsilometes
March 21, 2012
Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond at a signing
for their new album Donny & Marie
at the Flamingo
on June 21, 2011.
So it was that Chris Phillips showed up at Rick Faugno’s show Tuesday night at the Lounge at the Palms (where dreams come true) with a tantalizing piece of information:
Earlier in the evening, he’d been asked to perform a few numbers with Marie Osmond. Onstage. As in, for real. Fill in for a time as Mr. I’m a Little Bit Rock ’n’ Roll at the Flamingo.
The founder of the popular Las Vegas act Zowie Bowie turned back the offer made two hours before the start of the Donny & Marie show. Phillips reasoned, rightfully, that he would not be able to learn a set of songs usually sung by Donny Osmond in just two hours (I joked that Phillips is still trying to learn the nuances of hosting “Name That Tune Live” at Imperial Palace, which closed three weeks ago). We joke like this, as we are friends.
The reason for the shuffling of the Donny & Marie stage show is the actual Donny Osmond has been resting his voice, as vocal issues have rendered some of our city’s great entertainers (especially Celine Dion, and Chrissi Scinta of “The Scintas” also has been struggling with her voice) temporarily out of commission.
So for the first time in Donny & Marie’s three-year run on the Strip, Marie went for it solo. One can imagine her unleashing, “I’m a little bit country! … And I’m still a little bit country!” without her brother standing at her side. But Marie reportedly was a hit and thrilled with the performance; just before she took the stage, she announced on her Twitter page that she was going out solo, asking, “Any song requests???”
Not that it’s going to be a regular occurrence, as Donny is expected to return to the show when his voice is well enough to sing again.
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