Tod Johnston and Trudy Dunn, the now-adult children of Jill Perryman and Kevan Johnston – two of Australia’s best loved and most respected musical theatre stars – put this delightful program together as a tribute to their parents. And really, His Majesty’s could not have selected a nicer way to end their 2012 series of Morning Melodies concerts.
Last year, Perryman received a Helpmann Award for her lifelong contribution to the performing arts, which sparked Johnston and Dunn into preparing their own ‘award’ for their parents. The program, which – much to the delight of the audience – ran over its allotted one-hour time slot, contained well over a dozen songs, some of which their parents helped make famous.
The songs alone were a shining tribute, but by no means did they constitute the entire program. The performers shared with us their memories of the ‘view from the wings’: of correspondence lessons, many changes of school while touring, early dancing lessons and the kind of funny little stories that make up family lore. Tod Johnston’s depiction of his father Kevan mowing the lawn in a dressing gown while practising a little soft-shoe shuffle was a highlight.
The informality gave the show something of a family reunion feel, with Johnston and Perryman and other family members sitting front and centre in the dress circle. They must have been very proud of their offspring, and with good reason.
Both performers have made careers of their own – Johnston as a singer, radio announcer, TV presenter, producer, master of ceremonies, corporate host, and composer of songs and commercial jingles; and Dunn not only as a performer of note but also as teacher and mentor of young performers. She teaches at a leading Perth girls’ school and was instrumental in the foundation of the Midnite Youth Theatre, one of Perth’s best training grounds for teenage actors. Her decision to spend more time teaching than singing and dancing is a loss to Australia’s entertainment industry. This program showed us that Trudy Dunn is cast in the same mould as her famous mother, and could no doubt have attained a similarly glittering status. She has a commanding stage presence, with a lovely soprano voice and clear diction in both singing and speaking.
Tod Johnston plays the larrikin and thus provides an excellent foil for his sister. She is the younger of the two, but according to Johnston, she keeps him in line! From the opening ‘Hello Dolly’ to the closing ‘A Merry Little Christmas’, the almost capacity house at His Majesty’s Theatre was held spellbound by songs and stories, well-illustrated by Johnston’s bad dancing. I suspect he is actually a much better dancer than he pretends, but his bumbling-footed high jinx gave us a lot of laughs, and without them the show would have been the poorer. The songs flowed seamlessly through solos and duets, and we were also treated to a couple of instrumental sets presented by Sue Bluck on piano and Wayne Freer on bass. This talented pair otherwise provided a rich and expressive, but never intrusive, accompaniment to the singers.
The Maj is on a winner with this one. I hope it might be presented again sometime, with availability to a wider audience. Not everyone can get to morning shows, but those of us who were lucky enough to see this one will remember it for a long time.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
His Majesty’s Theatre presents
Morning Melodies: View from the Wings
A Tribute to Jill Perryman and Kevan Johnston
Featuring Tod Johnston and Trudy Dunn
With Sue Bluck (piano) and Wayne Freer (bass)
His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth
12 December
