Review: "AN EVENING WITH WARREN KERMOND", School of Arts Cafe, May 27 1998, by TONY MAGEE

Song and Dance Man, Warren Kermond is one of a dwindling breed of true variety entertainers.  His work as an entertainer has spanned over 40 years, being trained as an acrobat and tap dancer and developing further skills as a mime act, singer, comedian, song and dance man, musical theatre and cabaret artist.

Many of his skills and show-biz persona were learnt through the school-of-hard-knocks along with Helen Reddy and Toni Lamond, under the guidance of Max Reddy and Stella Lamond. 

Let me say straight out, that I've not seen many performers who work as hard on stage as Warren Kermond. The man virtually gave us his soul, such was the energy with which he performed.

The show was somewhat autobiographical, starting with the Vaudeville days, which is essentially where I think Kermond's heart lies. An excellent Al Jolson Medley and a dedication to Joe Martin (whom Kermond sights as a major influence) with the song The Sweetheart Tree (used in the film The Great Race) were highlights of this segment.

Kermond's considerable skills as a tap dancer were showcased in songs such as Smile, Me and My Shadow, and Everything Old Is New Again as the show continued, this time focusing more on the days of the Tivoli and early Australian television variety shows.

Act II featured three segments: Songs From the Shows, another Tap display and then more Songs From the Shows, but this time ones he had been in. I must admit that whilst there was much to enjoy along the way, I found this act lacked structure and was quite repetitive. Kermond's repertoire is indeed vast, but much of his vocal style, stage presence, song structure and forms are in the vaudeville style - something that we had seen plenty of in the first act.

However, his rendition of Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat from Guys and Dolls was outstanding and I would really have liked to have seen some more of his characterisations. Tonight from Westside Story was given an interesting treatment, moving from a swing feel, through a beguine and then a tango.

I'm not convinced that performance skills honed to deliver a short spot as part of a larger variety show, or indeed even a daytime club-act, automatically transfer to a long evening cabaret (two and three quarter hours to be exact), however in the interests of balance, those around me on the night seemed to enjoy the show immensely.

Originally published in Muse Magazine (Canberra), July 1998