Donny Osmond Talks Having the 'Time of My Life' Back on Stage in "Joseph — "and Spending a Quiet Christmas Abroad (Exclusive)
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12/24/2024 02:00 PM
The star reflects on his evolution within the show — and teases what's coming next
Christie Goodwin
Donny OsmondThree years ago, Andrew Lloyd Webber popped in on Donny Osmond's Las Vegas show and came backstage with a question afterward.
"He and my producer, they asked, 'Would you ever consider playing Pharaoh in Joseph?' " Osmond, 67, recalls to PEOPLE. "And I said, 'When the time is right, if it feels right, I'd entertain the idea.' "
The time is now.
More than 30 years ago, Osmond captivated theater crowds when he toured the country as the titular character in Webber and Tim Rice's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. And now he's back, this time in the over-the-top, villainous role of Pharaoh.
"When Andrew Lloyd Webber says 'jump,' you say 'how high?' " Osmond says. "And I hope he doesn't mind, but I'm taking this role to a whole other level."
Christie Goodwin
Donny Osmond in 'Joseph' in ScotlandOsmond's run lasts through Dec. 29 at the Edinburgh Playhouse in Scotland, where he says theater-goers have been "amazing" and the cast like a "party every night."
"They give me suggestions on the crazy things to do," he shares. "I ask myself, 'What would Robin Williams do? What would Jerry Lewis do? What would Milton Berle do? What would all these amazing comedians do?' And then I take my experiences actually working with these people — and it's working. The audiences are just having the time of their lives."
Osmond admits it can feel "pretty bizarre" to watch Joseph, "to hear someone else doing the material you did for six years, 2,000 performances and more." (He even started singing a Joseph line by accident one recent night!) But he's "good" with his evolution now.
"Opening night it was like, 'What is this going to be like?' And as soon as they set me down on the chair on stage and the lights came up, the applause and ovation ... it was absolutely amazing. And then when Joseph comes out and ['Poor Poor Joseph'] began, I looked at the audience and I said, 'Déjà vu!' "
What feels different this year, however, is spending Christmas abroad, away from his extended family.
Christie Goodwin
Donny Osmond in 'Joseph' in Scotland"It's just Debbie and myself," he shares of his wife of 45 years. "It's going to be kind of an unusual Christmas with just the two of us — we won't have all the grandkids running around the house."
He adds, however, that he has a great "present" coming: two more grandchildren, due in March and April, bringing the family total to 16.
He won't be gone for long, though; on Feb. 11, Osmond returns to Las Vegas at Harrah's Showroom for his first-ever solo residency, in a show he promises will be unlike anything audiences have ever seen.
Christie Goodwin
Donny Osmond backstage at 'Joseph' in ScotlandNever miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"It's extremely high-tech," he teases, "and people are going to say, 'Oh my goodness, I've gotta see this.' "
With an open-ended run, Osmond is excited about the possibilities the future holds, whether it's with Vegas or a stateside run of Joseph. Though he knows that someday it'll be time to throw in the cards.
"I've always said if I can't give a hundred percent on stage like I do every night in Las Vegas or what I'm doing out here, if I can't come up to that bar that I've set for myself, that's the time to stop," he says.
But for now, he adds, "I'm just having the time of my life on stage."
