Johanna Allen is about to return to her home town of Adelaide with the London Palladium version of The Sound Of Music, in which she plays Sister Sophia. Glam Adelaide caught up with her just as she was finishing the Melbourne run, to talk about growing up in Adelaide, her career and the recent version of the smash hit Rodgers & Hammerstein musical.
As soon as one starts speaking with Johanna, one is struck with how delightful and exuberant she is. She is absolutely charming and can’t wait to perform back in her hometown and live once more in the suburb where she grew up, Henley Beach. “My parents still live there, and so while I’m in Adelaide with The Sound Of Music, you’ll very likely see me running along the beach and frequenting Henley Square.” Johanna says that even though she works mainly interstate and overseas now, Adelaide “still feels like home”. So much so, that whenever she gets together with her good friend, ex-Adelaide boy Hugh Sheridan, all they tend to talk about is how much they love and miss Adelaide.
Johanna’s love for performing started when she was very young, with her very supportive parents taking her to a performance of Puss In Boots at the Henley Beach Town Hall. “There’s nothing like the sense of magic when the lights go down at the start of a show and you feel that you are about to enter another world. I’m very grateful to my parents for the support, encouragement and experiences they have given me.”
In a way, it was Johanna’s father who prompted her to want to dance He gave her a Dgas print for her bedroom when she was little and she remembers saying all the time, “I want to dance like the people in the painting.”
Johanna’s recent theatre credits include Wicked, Dr Zhivago, Dogfight, Phantom of the Opera, Showboat and Assassins. She had a sell out season at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival with The Songs That Got Away – the music of Harold Arlen and has worked with artists such as David Helfgott, Anthony Warlow, David Hobson, Michael Buble, Suzanne Vega, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the New York City Big Band.
Ms Allen’s latest role is that of Sister Sophia in the highly acclaimed new version of the classic family musical, The Sound Of Music. When asked about this version and being in it, Johanna said “I love it!. There’s a wonderful cheekiness and refreshing re-imagined quality to this version. The show still holds its own and audiences have responded with such joy to it. I feel a great joy and privilege to be associated with this production.”
The Sound Of Music will be playing at the Adelaide Festival Theatre from 9 August 2016. Tickets from $79.00 (An additional transaction fee and/or a credit/debit payment processing fee may apply).
Bookings: soundofmusictour.com.au or bass.net.au or 131 246 Groups 12+ 08 8205 2220
Interview by Brian Godfrey
Twitter: @briangods
More News
