It's a Monday night. Merrill Osmond has
rehearsed for less than a week with the rest of the cast of "The Civil
War." But he's doing all right, this veteran performer.
His gravelly voice blends nicely with the
other actors' silky tenors. When it comes to negotiating the stage, he's
not making many more mistakes than those who have been practicing
together for more than a month.
Osmond's sword does clunk on the floor
when he sits on his camp stool. But that's understandable. The swords
are authentic replicas of those carried in the Civil War, and they are
huge. Some of the other actors are also still struggling to get their
weapons under control.
Later in the rehearsal, Osmond is late
coming in for his duet with the Southern captain. But then, the Southern
captain is late as well.
Director Andrew Barrus corrects Osmond
and the other actor in exactly the same matter-of-fact tone. When
corrected, Osmond doesn't waste time talking, he just heads back up the
stairs and enters again. This time, he's on cue.
Sally Dietlin, executive producer at Hale
Centre Theatre, says the other actors have been pleasantly surprised by
Osmond, by his humility and by how hard he works. "There's no attitude
with him," she says.
As for Osmond, he's impressed with the
professionalism he's found at Hale. He mentions the singing, the acting.
"And the choreography is the best I've seen."
The stage is in five sections, and it
seems at least one section is submerged at any given time. A fall would
be disastrous, Osmond realizes.
Still, "I don't think I've ever had more
fun," he said. "I've always wanted to do this play."
His famous brother, Donny, became
identified with "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," he
points out. His famous sister Marie just made her mark on "Dancing With
the Stars."
Merrill Osmond admits he would not mind
being identified with this musical, "The Civil War." Osmond loves
history, and he thinks Frank Wildhorn's script and songs are incredibly
important just now, as our nation once again finds itself in a long war.
He says he's seen at least one person cry during every rehearsal he's
attended.
Osmond sought the role of Capt. Emmett
Lochran. He and Dietlin agree that's the way it happened. Osmond talked
to his friend Larry Gatlin, of the Gatlin Brothers, who was playing
Lochran in a national touring production. Gatlin told him the musical
was being performed in Utah later in the year. Osmond asked his agent to
call Hale Centre.
Eventually, Dietlin and her husband,
Mark, went to Branson, Mo., in time to catch Osmond's last performance
there. They liked his voice. "He's solid," she said.
Dietlin says there was a third party
involved in the negotiations as well, a mutual friend who offered to
donate the amount Osmond would need for a salary. That clinched the deal
for Dietlin, who adds that other actors are getting paid between $40 and
$70 for each performance, which is more than Hale Centre usually pays.
She thinks the production will sell out.
When he was hired by Hale Centre, Osmond had a couple of conflicts,
performances he'd already agreed to in Las Vegas and on a cruise ship.
Dietlin says the theater will be up-front with customers about which
performances will be done by the understudy, David Weeks.
Osmond will be on hand for the majority
of the run, she notes. "Including the student matinees. We were amazed."
Dietlin has wanted to do this play for
years. She acknowledges that the "The Civil War" met with mixed reviews
during its two-month run on Broadway. The script uses the actual words
of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, as well as the poetry of Walt
Whitman. Still, some critics didn't think there was enough of a story
line.
But Dietlin has long pictured "The Civil
War" in her center stage theater. Wildhorn's script and songs will
succeed because of the intimacy Hale Centre can offer, she believes.
As for Barrus, the director, he is so
passionate about the script that he spent last summer visiting Civil War
sites and taking photos. He is proud of the authentic costumes and
props.
"It is a different style of play for us,"
Barrus concedes. It was a challenge to choose six or seven characters to
highlight, he says. But he felt he had to make some characters stand
out, to help the audience forge a relationship with them.
He notes that Wildhorn's other plays
didn't last long on Broadway, either. But "The Scarlet Pimpernel" and
"Jekyll and Hyde" continue to be performed. As with those two, Wildhorn
has continued to refine this play. It features songs that were not part
of the original production.
Meanwhile, this year marks the 50th
anniversary of the Osmond Brothers. Fifty years ago, 4-year-old Merrill
Osmond sang with his brothers for the first time on the "Andy Williams
Show." This year Alan, Wayne, Jay and Merrill have planned a reunion
World Tour, and they'll be joined by Donny, Marie and Jimmy on portions
of it.
Osmond sounds bemused by the fact that he
and his family are getting more offers than he expected they'd get for
this reunion. The Osmonds are very big in the Ukraine, he says. He's
turned down opportunities to perform this spring, he says.
He figures he'll eventually get to those
other places. He is ready to follow the reunion as long as public
interest holds out.
But first this, "The Civil War," at Hale
Centre Theatre, in his home state. Osmond said, "I knew I had to make
time for this in my life. I knew in my heart this was the right season."
If
you go ...
What:
"The Civil War"
Where: Hale Centre Theatre, 3333 S. Decker Lake Drive, West
Valley City
When: Tuesday through April 5
How much: $15-$25
Phone: 984-9000
Web:
www.halecentretheatre.org
E-mail:
susan@desnews.com
