Donny Osmond didn't let himself be deterred by a disastrous Broadway debut in 1982 (George M. Cohan's Little Johnny Jones closed after opening night). A decade later he starred in the North American tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and now his 2001 solo album, This Is the Moment, further proves that teen pop's loss has become musical theater's gain. Assisted by legendary pop producer Phil Ramone, Osmond puts a contemporary spin on a wide variety of Broadway tunes (though nothing from Joseph), emphasizing shows from the previous decade: Rent (a funky R&B "Seasons of Love"), Jekyll & Hyde (a smooth "This Is the Moment"), Aida, even Riverdance.Osmond also parlayed his Andrew Lloyd Webber ties to include songs from two shows that hadn't yet hit Broadway: The Beautiful Game's "Our Kind of Love" (in its first commercial recording, though the tune falls short of Lloyd Webber's usual catchiness) and Whistle Down the Wind's "No Matter What." Particularly inviting are Seussical the Musical's "Solla Sollew" and Saturday Night Fever's "Immortality." Finally, Osmond closes the book on Little Johnny Jones by ending with a grand, sweeping arrangement of the show's "Give My Regards to Broadway," in which he vows he'll be there ere long. We'll be waiting, Donny. --David Horiuchi
