‘Feels like I’m coming home’: Music legend Donny Osmond launches UK tour at Bonus Arena
LEGEND: Donny Osmond
By Simon Bristow
Pop superstar Donny Osmond will launch his first UK tour in six years at Hull’s Bonus Arena.
Osmond, who has announced 12 dates at some of the biggest indoor venues in the country, will bring his Las Vegas show to the Bonus Arena on Tuesday, November 28.
Tickets for the all-seated show go on general sale at 10am on Thursday.
Throughout an illustrious six decades long career, Osmond has earned 33 gold records and sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. He has had three UK No 1s, nine UK Top 10s, 13 UK Top 40s, and spent a staggering 333 weeks in the UK charts.
The 2023 tour marks 50 years since Osmond and his brothers first performed in the UK. Following Donny's solo success with Puppy Love (No 1 for five weeks), the group’s arrival provoked scenes of hysteria not seen since The Beatles the previous decade.
After their first flight into Heathrow, Donny and his brothers were banned from further landings there when part of a balcony collapsed beneath the sheer number of fans who had shown up in a bid to get a glimpse of Donny. Gatwick wouldn't have them either, so Donny and his brothers had to fly to Scotland and take a train down to London.
The reaction to Donny and his brothers was always greatest in the UK.
Donny said: “Performing in the UK has always felt like coming home and I'm thrilled to be returning for a tour at the end of this year. I’m bringing the whole cast from my new Las Vegas production that highlights six decades of entertaining. I can hardly wait to revisit those Osmondmania memories with everyone. The only difference is, they’re going to let me land at Heathrow this time.”
Donny has entertained a vast array of audiences with his varied career choices. He starred on Broadway as Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast; hosted two television series on British network television; and performed at the Concert for Diana, seen worldwide by more than two billion viewers.
The critically acclaimed song Captain Li Shang’s I’ll Make a Man Out of You, from the Disney film Mulan, was sung by Donny. The song and Donny’s singing of it received accolades from around the globe and ranks as one of the most popular and enduring Disney tunes of all time.
Donny stunned audiences across America when it was revealed that he was the very first entertainer on the hit musical competition show The Masked Singer. The show debuted in 2019 as the most well-rated reality show in over ten years of American television.
Become a Patron of The Hull Story. For just £2.50 a month you can help support this independent journalism project dedicated to Hull. Find out more here
Donny finished the show runner-up to rap and R&B singer, T-Pain. He later became a guest judge on The Masked Singer UK with Davina McCall, Rita Ora and Jonathan Ross. A mere ten years earlier, in 2009, Donny was crowned Dancing with the Stars champion at the height of its popularity with an estimated 37 million viewers weekly.
One of Donny’s most notable appearances was his starring role as Joseph in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which broke records during its six-year run with more than 2,000 performances in the US and Canada.
In 2021, Donny returned to live theatre in the iconic Pantoland at the Palladium in London, receiving accolades and stellar reviews for his turn as The Wizard of Pantomime.
Currently, Donny headlines his first ever solo residency at Harrah’s Las Vegas. His return to the stage is billed as an exciting, energy-filled musical journey. Guests experience a party as he performs his timeless hits, shares stories of his greatest show-stopping memories, and introduces brand new music in a new and completely reimagined song and dance celebration.
Tickets for Donny’s Bonus Arena show will be on sale from the venue or via Ticketmaster. For VIP and hospitality upgrades, email hull@eu.asmglobal.com