Donny & Marie make it official to end Las Vegas Strip show
Donny and Marie Osmond — both of them — have made it official. Their hit show on the Strip is ending after 11 years on Nov. 16.
The duo who opened their run at Flamingo Las Vegas in September 2008 are indeed calling it closed. Donny and Marie appeared together on “Good Morning America” this morning for the collective announcement.
Donny has talked of projects outside of the duo’s stage show, especially his 62nd album over his 50-plus-year career, which he plans to release as he turns 62 on Dec. 9. He’s also mused about the possibility of serving as a judge on “The Masked Singer,” the FOX singing competition show. Donny, dressed effectively as the Peacock, finished second to T-Pain (as the Monster) in the nine-week series.
From 6 weeks to 11 years… we could not be more grateful for everyone who has traveled from all over the world to see the #DonnyAndMarie show!! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Come see us @FlamingoVegas before the year is up! 💃🏻💋 @GMA https://t.co/Vutib3Ds3O
— Marie Osmond (@marieosmond) March 21, 2019
“It’s very, very hard,” Donny Osmond told “GMA” correspondent Paula Faris in a clip recorded at the Flamingo.
“People come from all over the world to see us in Vegas,” Marie said, and referred to her brother. “He has been my rock.”
Marie went through a “terrible divorce, a terrible custody battle, here,” in talking of the decade-plus residency. She also mentioned overcoming the death of her 18-year-old son, Michael Blosil, in 2010, just a little more than year into the residency.
Marie is expected to create a new show for the Strip, possibly with a new partner. This month she added “Flower Duet” to the production, an operatic piece in which she sings to a video of herself.
The news that the show would close dates to Oct. 19, when Donny let the news loose unexpectedly, and without his sister’s participation, during an episode of “Morning Blend” on KTNV Channel 13. As co-hosts J.J. Snyder and Shawn Tempesta looked on, apparently shocked, he said, “We’ve been talking about it for quite a while, but definitely, our countdown has started.”
The announcement caught Marie off-guard. She later said, “It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings, and I’m on NutriSystem.” Originally, those who had followed the duo through their run on the Strip expected Donny might be joking — he annually made similar comments about the show closing, only to renew for another year. But not this time.
Caesars Entertainment, which owns Flamingo Las Vegas, did not make its own announcement confirming the show’s closing until this morning.
In a statement, Damian Costa, vice president of entertainment operations at Caesars Entertainment, said, “Donny and Marie have made an incredible impact at Flamingo Las Vegas. We are honored to have been the home to such an iconic duo and their unwavering talent on stage night after night for more than 10 years.”
Caesars Entertainment renamed Flamingo Showroom as Donny & Marie Showroom in October 2013. The company has also dedicated four building wraps on the side of the hotel to the duo, with their familiar faces looming over the Strip since their run started 11 years ago. As Donny said this morning, “This is the end of the Donny & Marie show, but it’s not the end of Donny & Marie.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts.Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.