As a teenager, Donny Osmond had the surreal experience of playing Yahtzee against his younger brother Jimmy in Elvis Presley’s suite at the Hilton. Presley famously headlined the Hilton, now Westgate Las Vegas, and the youthful pop star was welcome at the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s court. Osmond is the headliner now, paying tribute to Presley as well as Vegas itself at his red-hot self-titled residency at Harrah’s Las Vegas.
Harrah’s Las Vegas, coincidentally, is illuminated in purple by the time of Osmond’s 8 p.m. shows. Fans that grew up on his music know the royal pigment was his professed favorite color in the ’70s as he went from pop singer to pin-up idol to superstar to superhero. That’s right, in a recurring series of skits on ABC variety series Donny & Marie, Osmond fought for justice as Captain Purple.
Whether he still sports purple socks is a revelation only known to those who have experienced his solo residency, which began the same month as the release of his latest album, Start Again, in September 2021. New songs such as snappy, optimistic R&B smoothie “Don’t Stop” and “On & On” were woven into sets that related Osmond’s autobiography through his music.
Audience members were invited to make requests from various points in Osmond’s recording history. Practically born to sing, he joined his brothers’ barbershop quartet after they were discovered at Disneyland and became regular performers on The Andy Williams Show in the ’60s. The Osmonds scored their first hit with “One Bad Apple” in 1971 and Donny quickly became a focal point for the teen idol industry.
Osmond branched off as a solo artist with “Go Away Little Girl” and a cover of Paul Anka’s “Puppy Love.” Teaming with Marie in 1976 for a television show resulted in huge ratings, making Donny & Marie must-see television on Friday nights. He sang medleys of rock hits in his matured voice, harmonized with his brothers and demonstrated his keyboard chops.
Culture in the ’80s reacted against everything in the ’60s and ’70s, and Osmond struggled. His work ethic and family were his salvations, though, and he returned to the charts in 1989 with “Soldier of Love.” He achieved success onstage in the lead of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and in 2006 won over Broadway critics as Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
The confidence that Osmond cultivated from musicals showed when he took the stage with Marie for the first time at the Flamingo in 2008. A six-week engagement stretched into 11 years. The siblings literally became the faces of Vegas entertainment when portraits were rendered many stories high on the Flamingo’s Strip-side exterior.
Osmond’s current electrifying residency is a collaborative effort of A-listers such as director Raj Kapoor and choreographers Nappytabs. The combination of dazzling dancers and live musicians with the ambitions of quite possibly the most seasoned entertainer on the Strip make Captain Purple a worthy successor to The King.
Harrah’s, 855.234.7469
Click here for your free subscription to the weekly digital edition of Las Vegas Magazine, your guide to everything to do, hear, see and experience in Southern Nevada. In addition to the latest edition emailed to every week, you’ll find plenty of great, money-saving offers from some of the most exciting attractions, restaurants, properties and more! And Las Vegas Magazine is full of informative content such as restaurants to visit, cocktails to sip and attractions to enjoy.
