UCR INTERVIEW: David Osmond The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber

The Really Useful Group in London has authorized a special, limited engagement of The Music Of Andrew Lloyd Webber to be produced almost entirely with Utah talent for Utah audiences in celebration of the return of live performance to Utah stages.

Emmy Award-winning Utah composer KURT BESTOR is collaborating with director LOUANNE MADORMA to bring this very special production featuring Utah musicians, singers, cast, crew and featured performers, including DALLYN VAIL BAYLES , DAVID OSMOND, Tony Award-winner LISA HOPKINS SEEGMILLER, LEXI WALKER and others, to the Eccles Theater, May 7th–15th.

Utah Concert Review Editor in Chief, Kevin Rolfe had the opportunity to chat with cast member, David Osmond leading up to Friday night’s opening performance.

Photo Credit:Russ Dixon

UCR:  I know what it feels like for me to once again prepare to cover a show but to be rehearsing and on a stage and listening to the music, what does it feel like to be preparing for an actual show?

David Osmond:  It is goosebumps! We were on stage yesterday and we’re doing our tech rehearsals and the lights are on and you smell that theater smell and everybody’s there and we’re going through the music and its great content. I just have a perma grin. I’m ear to ear, I’ve been able to grow up in the music world since I was a baby in so many different capacities of performing.

As a kid in a barbershop quartet and my brothers as a boy band back in the day to pop music and then the opportunity to get into musical theatre and perform doing Broadway tours and shows and of course “Joseph” was kind of the kingpin of that. I did five companies of it. To do that music again in this setting is epic. There’s nothing quite like it and to know that Eccles has been down for 14 months and this is like we’re kicking the cobwebs off and we’re bringing it back! And this is a Utah show with Utah’s finest. I’m honored to be part of the mix and I think the audience is going to be thrilled not just to be back in seats and not feel that live element again. But because of the show itself, it’s pretty epic.

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Broadway at the Eccles Announces New Dates for the Upcoming Broadway Season

Zions Bank Broadway at the Eccles 

is Excited To Announce 

New Dates for the Upcoming Broadway Season

Salt Lake City, UT – We are pleased to announce the dates for the 2021/2022 Broadway at the Eccles season, bringing back extraordinary entertainment to Salt Lake City. For this season, we have been able to reschedule five of the six season package shows originally announced. We are also thrilled to reveal the 8 time Tony® and Grammy® Award winning production of Hadestown will be added to the package to ensure our subscribers have six amazing shows this season. 

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Dear Evan Hansen March 4, 2020 Eccles Theater

By: Kevin Rolfe

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

Every once in a while we’ll get a musical that has been written in the present tense, with modern themes and modern lessons.  Sure you’ll have a show like Hamilton which has many modern elements and musical stylings, but the story takes place over 200 years ago. I’m talking about shows like Hair, which in which the story took place in the ’70s and debuted on Broadway in the ’70s.  Another show like this that comes to mind is Rent from the ‘90s. The show takes place in the ‘90s, it’s themes are from current events of the day and the show debuted on Broadway in the ‘90s. You get the idea. Now we have Dear Evan Hansen. A story for our time.

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Miss Saigon October 15, 2019, Eccles Theater

By: Kevin Rolfe

Miss Saigon US Tour Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy

*This review contains mild spoilers.  The main reveals in the show won’t be divulged but if you want to go into the production without knowing anything, please read this review once you’ve seen Miss Saigon.*  

The New National Tour of Cameron Mackintosh’s revival of Boublil and Schönberg’s (Les Misérables) musical, Miss Saigon made its Utah premiere last night (Oct. 15) at the beautiful Eccles Theater in downtown Salt Lake City.  When the Eccles Theater was being discussed and then constructed one of the reasons for building the theater was to be able to house some of the larger scale musicals that the newly renovated Capitol Theater is unable to fit on its 106 year old stage.   Miss Saigon is definitely a large scale musical, both with a 42 person cast and a set design that takes every bit of the stage. 

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