Originally scheduled to complete his run Nov. 21, the pop star will continue with the production through Dec. 24. In a statement Osmond said, "I'm having such a great time on Broadway that I couldn’t resist hanging around a little longer. New York audiences have welcomed me with open arms, and I couldn’t think of a more special way to spend the holidays than on Broadway in New York City."
Due to previous commitments, Osmond will not perform in Beauty and the Beast Dec. 5 and 6 and Dec. 13-17.
As previously reported, Osmond will soon host a new prime-time version of "Name That Tune." He is also at work on his 55th album, due for release in March 2007.
In addition to his pop success with the Osmond Family — including the hit TV series "The Donny & Marie Show" — Donny Osmond also starred in the national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He was the singing voice of Captain Shang in Disney's "Mulan," and he also recently hosted the game show "Pyramid." He made his Broadway debut in 1982 in the ill-fated Little Johnny Jones.
Beauty and the Beast, which plays the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, also stars Sarah Uriarte Berry as Belle, Steve Blanchard as the Beast, Stuart Marland as Lumiere, Jeanne Lehman as Mrs. Potts, Christopher Duva as Cogsworth, Jamie Ross as Maurice, Meredith Inglesby as Babette, Mary Stout as Madame de la Grande Bouche and Aldrin Gonzalez as Lefou. Trevor Braun and Alexander Scheitinger alternate in the role of the young Chip. The musical, according to press notes, is "the classic love story of Belle, a young woman in a small, provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a prince trapped in a spell placed on him by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and to be loved, the spell will be broken and he will be transformed back to his former self. But time is running out, and if the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he will be doomed for all eternity."
Featuring a score by Alan Menken, Tim Rice and the late Howard Ashman, Beauty and the Beast boasts a book by the author of the original screenplay, Linda Woolverton; the musical was directed by Robert Jess Roth.
Tickets may be purchased at the theatre's box office (205 W. 46th Street) or by calling (212) 307-4747. For more information, visit Walt Disney Theatricals on-line at www.disneyonbroadway.com.
