By Joshua Clark Entertainment Editor
At the end of every season, something called “The Branson Shuffle” takes place. This happens when shows move from one venue to another, but very seldom does it happen in the middle of the season. That will change Sept. 3 as the Osmonds move from Music City Centre to the Yakov Smirnoff Theatre.
“We are thrilled that it worked out this way,” Jimmy Osmond said. “We needed a place that would allow us to accommodate the demand on certain dates, especially around Christmas.”
According to Osmond, the demand to see the show on several dates during Christmas season is what prompted the move.
Music City Centre seats 664 people, while Smirnoff’s theater seats more than 2,000. With a move to a larger venue, the brothers can welcome more guests to the show.
“I liked where we were, with the intimacy of the room and people involved, but for what we do, we needed a bigger venue,” he said. “Plus, Yakov will be able to give us so much exposure, and we’ll do the same thing for him.”
Osmond announced the show would relocate to Music City Centre late last year after selling the group’s old theater to Clay Cooper.
After realizing that the demand was far greater than the supply, he began looking for other possible venues. Smirnoff’s Moscow Circus had just ended its summer run and there were no shows scheduled for the 8 p.m. time slot. The way Osmond sees it, the timing was impeccable.
“It worked out so well because we didn’t have to change our schedule at all,” Osmond said. “Plus we get to accommodate more guests.”
Osmond also sees his relationship with Smirnoff as another reason this relocation not only happened, but was such an easy transition.
“Yakov really got started at my theater and I still call him and he still calls me,” he said. “All of the sudden it just clicked, and it was like, ‘Hey, why aren’t we working together?'”
While Osmond may be moving the show to accommodate larger audiences for several performances in November and December, they are still feeling the economic downturn, just like everyone else.
“I produce shows all over the place and everyone has been hurt by this,” he said. “People like brands and they know what they’re going to get when they see an Osmond’s show, and I think that people are seeing fewer shows now, and they stick to the shows that they know what to expect.”
The Osmond brand has been around for more than 50 years, and the entertaining family is showing not signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Donny and Marie Osmond perform in Las Vegas, and Jimmy Osmond and the rest of the family recently performed at Wembley Stadium in England.
“I’m just grateful that my brothers have sacrificed 53 years to performing,” he said. “I can’t think of one year they haven’t performed at least 100 shows ever since I was born and to sustain that longevity is a credit to what they do.”
Even though Osmond no longer resides in the area, he still calls Branson one of his homes.
“All my kids are hillbillies and I have so many memories of my parents there at that wonderful age,” he said. “It was hard for me to sell my interests in the theaters in Branson, but I figured we’d just find another place for the brothers to play. It was then I realized how important Branson was to me and my brothers and I don’t want to give up what we have in that market and our 20-year tradition of doing shows there.”
While Jimmy, Wayne, Merrill and the rest of the Osmond brothers may spend a large part of the year touring the world, they always seem to come back to Branson.
“Through all the good and bad times, there is something about that community that has always been there for us,” Jimmy Osmond said. “The intimacy we get in Branson, you get nowhere else. It’s a different vibe there and there’s no place like it.”
As far as their upcoming partnership with Smirnoff, Osmond is looking for the best-case scenario.
“Both of our brands compliment each other so well,” he said. “I just hope it goes really well. We’re goofy and we like to have a lot of fun and I’ve always felt blessed to be able to do what we do.”
The Osmonds will perform Monday-Saturday at 8 p.m. from Sept. 3 – Dec 11 at the Yakov Smirnoff Theatre.
For more information, visit osmondbros.com or yakov.com
