Times Square turned into a playground for the next generation on August 25, when Wonderama, America’s longest-running children’s television show, brought its Wonder Games to Duffy Square for a full day of music, gaming, and family entertainment. Among the artists who stood out on that stage was Renee Leavitt, the country and Christian singer-songwriter from the Greater Boston area, whose set reminded the crowd why she has become one of New England’s most closely watched rising voices.
The event was hosted by David Osmond, the Wonderama frontman and Broadway performer, alongside co-hosts Chuckie (Chuck Armstrong) and Alisa Obrivanova, who have anchored the show’s live Times Square broadcasts throughout its current run. Built around the theme “The Games Everyone Can Play,” Wonder Games paired musical performances with an esports showcase, accessible-gaming demonstrations, and appearances from young creators and digital talent from across the country, all taped for upcoming episodes reaching Wonderama’s audience of more than 90 million households.
For Leavitt, the Times Square stage is familiar ground. The 26-year-old singer-songwriter, who began performing at age three and started writing her own songs at thirteen, first appeared on Wonderama’s Times Square set during the show’s seventh season. Her return for the Wonder Games placed her alongside a new class of Wonderama talent while reinforcing her own standing as a genuine crossover artist, equally at home on the country charts and within the Christian and Southern Gospel community.
That crossover appeal has been building for years. Leavitt topped the CDX Southern Gospel and Positive Country charts with her single “Walk with the Big Guy,” was named the inaugural Artist of the Year by the New England Music Hall of Fame, and has been invited multiple times to sing the national anthem at Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox. Her catalog now spans dozens of original songs across four albums, and she has shared stages with acts including Magic Giant and Southside Johnny, as well as performing at the Christian music festival SoulFest.
With a Wonderama appearance now behind her for a second time, Leavitt’s Wonder Games moment is another marker of a career that keeps expanding outward from its New England roots, carrying the sound of Boston’s country and gospel scene onto one of the country’s biggest family entertainment stages.