Osmonds ring in holidays

FAMILY CHRISTMAS WITH THE OSMONDS 2ND GENERATION; Show Barn at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi; two nights only; running time two hours.

LEHI — Punching up a song sung decades ago by their dad and their uncles, the Osmonds 2nd Generation opened their two-day Family Christmas concert with the familiar strains of "We're Having a Party."

Immediately the audience knew this generation of musicians were ready to get down, have fun and start the Christmas season in style.

The Osmonds 2nd generation consists of the sons of Alan Osmond: Michael, Nathan, Douglas, David, Scott, Jon and Tyler. (Alex is currently serving an LDS mission or he would have joined them.) Keeping it in the family, the two female backup singers were Beka and Valerie Osmond, wives of Michael and David.

The evening was filled with many of the familiar tunes sung by the first generation of Osmonds, but the melodies were definitely kicked up a notch or two and modernized.

These young men wrapped their musical arms around the audience with favorites like "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas/Pine Cones and Holly Berries," "Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells," "Silver Bells" (complete with them ringing handbells) and a rousing "Little Drummer Boy" featuring drummers from Lone Peak High School. Each brother played a drum. Another audience favorite was a medley featuring "Are You Up There?" from the Osmonds' "The Plan" album and "I Believe."

Adding to the antics of the evening was interaction with the audience. These guys were constantly roaming the audience, visiting, encouraging sing-alongs and just having a great time.

A special highlight of the evening was the introduction of the Osmonds third generation: Michael's three young daughters, Suzannah, Sarah and Sasha. They showed they have the family genes as they sang "Why Do We Celebrate Christmas?" Note that these are Osmond girls and that even the little preschooler was harmonizing.

Other highlights of the show were the duet by David and Valerie Osmond singing "Alleluia" and the tribute to soldiers in "I'll Be Home for Christmas" with the final tribute to the late George V. Osmond, the 2nd Generation's grandfather.

On the first night, their improv came in handy as the arrival of Santa was detained by a locked door. In true fashion these guys took it in stride and just ran around the audience seeking a way to let Santa in. It ended up with a great comical recovery.

Additional entertainment for the evening came from two dance numbers by Odyssey Dance Theater.

The event was sponsored by the ZRII company, and proceeds benefit the Christmas Box House for children.

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E-mail: pugmire@desnews.com