RSVP / ORANGE COUNTY : Osmond Underwhelmed by the Overdone

If you catch Marie Osmond darting through the lobby of Le Meriden Hotel in Newport Beach, don’t look for her in the disco-style rags she helped popularize in the ‘70s.

Yes, some of those ‘70s silhouettes are enjoying a renaissance. But no, thank you , says Osmond, who is starring in “The Sound of Music” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa through Jan. 8.

These days, the 35-year-old mother of four prefers lines that are sophisticated, “like those of a Giorgio Armani or Donna Karan suit,” she says.

Ask Osmond to name the most embarrassing thing she wore during those disco days and she begins to laugh. “I think the whole ‘70s was embarrassing. I look at the clothes we wore and think, ‘You’re kidding!’ And we really thought we were cool.”

Beginning in 1976, when her and brother Donny’s faces were smiling from their weekly television show, “Donny and Marie,” Osmond traveled the world.

“I went to England and bought my first pair of platforms, then wore them back here. People looked at me like I was kidding. I tried to wear a lot of things before they actually became popular. If something is in now, it’s out for me. That’s the way I am. I try to stay ahead of the game,” she says.

Osmond often wears black on the road. “That can be unfortunate,” she says. “But black is great when you travel so much. It goes with everything.”

When you see her at the Country Music Awards or as a host on the Children’s Miracle Network, which she founded, she may be in something colorful, but it will be “clean and simple.” Overdone is not in her fashion vocabulary.

But there was a time when she opted for oomph. “When Donny and I did those shows, I had the best designers and makeup people available,” she says. “It’s funny to look back now and think, ‘ my gosh .’

“But I’m not half as embarrassed as Donny should be about what he wore.”

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There is a good chance that “The Sound of Music” will hit Broadway, sources say.

“Probably not with me,” Osmond confides. “I’m not sure that Broadway would like ‘The Sound of Music’ (again). It doesn’t have the pizazz of a ‘Phantom’--no dry ice or people coming up through the floor.”

In any case, Osmond is grateful to be touring with the show, her debut in musical theater. “It’s a completely different exercise for me,” she says. “I grew up with TV. And I love country. So this is a wonderful way to challenge myself.

“And I’ve fallen in love with Maria Von Trapp. When I was approached to do this, I felt people might think, ‘Oh, Marie Osmond in “The Sound of Music.” Cute .’ The challenge for me is to have her not so cute. She was a wonderful woman who helped heal a dysfunctional family.”

During her stay in Orange County, Osmond will ignore the malls and take her children to the Magic Kingdom. “Disneyland, definitely,” she says. A trip to the theme park will provide a nice break for Stephen, 11, Jessica, 7, Rachael, 5, and Michael, 3, who are being tutored backstage during Osmond’s engagement at Segerstrom Hall.

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A celebration in a million: On Saturday, the Sound of Music chapter of the Guilds of the Orange County Performing Arts Center will toss its first New Year’s Eve bash. Gutsy move.

Over the years, philanthropies such as the Pacific Symphony have attempted to rake in cash at a year-end celebration with so-so results.

But reservations have been pouring in for the $150-per-person, black-tie gala at the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach, where 200 guests will feast at gourmet food stations, get their palms read, sip vintage wines and “gamble” to earn tickets for auction bids.

Why take a chance on New Year’s Eve? “Last year we reached our $1-million mark in terms of funds we have contributed to the center,” says Shari Brown, chapter publicist. “We’ve had a party in March for so long, we felt we needed to do something different and special coming off the 1 million goal.” Carole Lobdell is gala chairwoman. For information, call (714) 720-8772.