Marie Osmond bringing holiday cheer to Genesee Theatre
Marie Osmond is more than a little bit Christmas.
For six decades, the entertainment icon has spread holiday cheer through television specials, movies, USO tours and hundreds of concerts. She's performed Christmas classics with everyone from Andy Williams to Bob Hope and her brother Donny.
Osmond is continuing the holiday tradition this season with a monthlong, 15-city tour that includes a Friday, Dec. 9, stop at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan. Having appeared at the venue before, she's looking forward to a return appearance.
“I enjoy it,” Osmond said during a recent phone interview. “I have been associated with Christmas since I can remember. Some of the great Christmas shows, starting with Andy Williams when I was 3.
“I believe I know Christmas,” she said. “Not just standing there singing a song, but just real entertainment and variety fun.”
Known for her 1973 No. 1 hit “Paper Roses” and, a few years later, her duet with Donny on “A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock 'N Roll,” Marie Osmond continually has reinvented herself while transitioning through musical genres.
On her 2021 album, “Unexpected,” Osmond even displays operatic ability with a stirring version of “Nessun Dorma.” After debuting at No. 1, the album spent 24 weeks on Billboard's Classical Crossover Albums Chart.
Concertgoers at the Genesee Theatre will enjoy a set of classic Christmas songs, but Osmond also will offer a journey through her best-known songs. David Osmond, her oldest brother Alan's son, is also on the tour that will feature a full orchestra.
“I wanted this to be a banquet of senses, with feelings and laughing and crying,” she said. “Music is so powerful, and you'll feel that in the venue.”
Osmond, who last month turned 63, has shown no signs of slowing down. Through the years she's written three books, finished third on “Dancing With the Stars” and created a line of dolls.
She's taking classes to fulfill a lifelong dream of earning a college degree, and recently she purchased a motorcycle.
She also continues her work as a co-founder of the Children's Miracle Network, a nonprofit group that's raised more than $8 billion for a network of 170 hospitals since its inception in 1983.
For the next few weeks, though, her focus will be on this tour and creating more holiday memories.
“I don't remember what I got five years ago for Christmas, but I do remember events,” she said. “I remember times I spent with family and friends, doing things and going to dinner. I believe these shows create those kinds of memories for the whole family.”
Marie Osmond: A Symphonic Christmas Tour
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9
Where: Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan, geneseetheatre.com/
Tickets: $50, $79, $99; marieosmond.com or ticketmaster.com