WHEN Wayne Scott Kermond steps onto the stage in Anything Goes at the Sydney Opera House he is not only continuing a showbiz family tradition but taking part in a familiar musical.
Kermond, of Woronora, appeared about four years ago in the same musical in Melbourne and was nominated for a Green Room Award.
In Sydney he will be playing the same part, that of bad guy Moonface Martin.
"The Sydney show is a bigger production and we're having a more intensive rehearsal period," Kermond said.
Moonface Martin is a very physical role but he is working with a new ensemble which provides a lot more challenges; "and it is a bigger set than in the Melbourne production".
"I'm a lot more involved in the dancing side of things and I get to show my versatility, particularly as a hoofer," Kermond said.
He is not a newcomer to the Sydney Opera House, having been part of the Babies Prom Series in Swing Baby Swing in 2013.
The Cole Porter musical Anything Goes is set aboard the SS American as it sails from New York to London with passengers including two couples seeking true love.
Singing sailors and a bit of blackmail doesn't go astray on the ship.
Kermond said he revels in being surrounded by young talent and in a role that is "quite physical with a lot of comedy".
Stars of the show are Caroline O'Connor and Todd McKenney.
He said that after a show there was "a bit of adrenaline thumping from the physical nature of the [play]".
As such, it was unwise to consume a meal too close to performance time.
"I keep fit by swimming," he said.
A fourth-generation performer — his father is Warren Kermond, his son Zan Kermond — he sings, dances, does acrobatics and slapstick comedy, skills he first began to learn when he was only 11-years-old.
His escape is the home he has lived in with his wife and son since October at Woronora, having grown up in the St George area.
Anything Goes opens September 5.
Bookings: sydneyoperahouse.com or 9250 7777, or Ticketmaster.com.au
