FANS of the television show Dancing With the Stars and The Boy from Oz Peter Allen will be in for a treat early in May when popular Australian entertainer Todd McKenny hits the Hastings.
Known for his singing and dancing and rapier-sharp comments as a judge on Dancing with the Stars, McKenny will be performing in an intimate show in Port Macquarie next month.
A mini-version of his renowned Boy From Oz stage show, the show will showcase many of Peter Allen’s songs, plus anecdotes and music from McKenny’s own stage and musical background.
But McKenny will also interact with the audience on a more intimate level. He says the show is almost unscripted apart from the music and he enjoys tailoring it to the particular audience.
“It really depends on the mood of the audience what stories come out,” McKenny told the Independent.
“We set it up so it’s like a dinner party to encourage the audience to ask questions about Dancing With the Stars, The Boy From Oz and my association with Peter,” he said.
“I find people in regional centres are very talkative and I encourage that. It helps keep the show fresh.”
McKenny says he never tires of singing Peter Allen’s songs.
“I have always loved his music,” he said, recalling how he first met the entertainer many years ago in Bondi.
“The guy who lived below me invited me to a barbecue because there was someone there I would really enjoy meeting,” McKenny said. “It turned out to be Peter Allen.”
The pair hit if off immediately, and Allen arranged some tickets for him to see his show that night.
McKenny saw several more of Peter Allen’s shows over the years and also had the chance to meet him a few more times. He was also friends with Allen’s sister Liz for many years.
McKenny laughs when asked if he is ever worried about his audience treating him harshly because of the tough time he gives some contestants on Dancing With the Stars.
“I’m sure a lot of them come with me in mind and quite often bring score paddles too. I’ve had everything from a 1 to an 11!” he said.
“It’s all good fun.
“Sure, there are people who come to see just if I am more than the loud mouth off the television, but I don’t mind that. It’s good for ticket sales.”
But – a warning – be prepared to get some fun curry back if you do try and heckle McKenny. That rapier-sharp wit that is so evident on Dancing With the Stars is not just reserved for television.
Asked his best-ever response to a heckler, the entertainer recalls a regional show at a venue where people had access to alcohol before and during that show.
“The audience was very raucous, but there was this one guy who just wouldn’t shut up,” McKenny said.
“Finally I stopped mid-song and said to the guy, ‘You are in this show almost as much as me – and I’m in it a lot!’ He shut up after that.”
McKenny’s Victorian and NSW tour started last week. He will perform in 12 venues across Victoria and NSW during April and May, including Port Macquarie on Friday 9 May at the Glasshouse.
Tickets are $79 for adults and $75 concession. To book visit www.glasshouse.org.au or call on 6581 8888.
