McKenney has performed on stage since 1983 in productions including
42nd Street,
The Pirates of Penzance,
Camelot,
La Cage aux Folles, ''
Singin' in the Rain, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert - the Musical''. In 1992, he played the role of ballroom dancer Nathan Starkey in
Baz Luhrmann's film
Strictly Ballroom, alongside his future
Dancing with the stars Australia co-star
Sonia Kruger, as well as
Paul Mercurio. McKenney rose to fame in 1998 when he created the lead role of Peter Allen in the Australian production of
The Boy from Oz. He performed the role 766 times between 1998 and 2000. However, when the production went to Broadway in 2003,
Hugh Jackman landed the role over McKenney. McKenney took on his first non-musical role in 2006, starring as Michael Minetti in the
Ensemble Theatre production of
Richard Alfieri's
two-hander play
Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks with
Nancye Hayes at the
Playhouse Theatre in the
Sydney Opera House. The play remains the most successful in the Ensemble Theatre's history, and the pair reprised these roles ten years later at the
Concourse Theatre, Chatswood, reuniting with
Sandra Bates for her final directorial role. McKenney performed his
Casting Couch production at the Ensemble's
Kirribilli premises in 2016, interviewing
Queenie van de Zandt,
Georgie Parker, and
Simon Burke in different performances. In 2006, McKenney hosted the television game show
You May Be Right, which was cancelled after a month on air. He hosted the breakfast program on Sydney radio station
Mix 106.5 with
Dancing with the Stars co-host
Sonia Kruger, as well as
Andy Grace, from January 2008 until September 2009. On 19 May 2010 and on 27 December 2010, McKenney guest co-hosted
The Morning Show alongside
Kylie Gillies, while regular male presenter
Larry Emdur was on holidays. In 2011, McKenney portrayed Lord Evelyn Oakley in a limited showing of
Anything Goes in Melbourne, alongside
Amanda Harrison. In 2012, he played the role of Rooster in the hit musical
Annie alongside
Anthony Warlow, Nancye Hayes and Alan Jones. McKenney plays Teen Angel in the 2013-2014 Australian National Touring Company production of the hit musical
Grease, starring alongside
Bert Newton,
John Paul Young,
Rob Mills, and
Gretel Scarlett. Although he is on stage for less than four minutes, In 2005, McKenney released an album,
Just a Gigolo. The title track was a duet with Maggie Kirkpatrick. Seven of the twelve tracks were Peter Allen compositions. The album also included "I Don't Care Too Much", a Kander and Ebb song that was dropped from
Cabaret. McKenney released a tribute album to Peter Allen on Friday 22 November 2013, called
Todd McKenney sings Peter Allen. In 2018, McKenney's performance as the neurotic Felix Ungar in the Australian stage production of The Odd Couple has received largely positive reviews. McKenney's physical comedy and facial expressions were frequently mentioned as a major strength, some reviewers found his American accent occasionally wavered or noted a "tad too camp" delivery, many praised his consistent verve and expert comedic timing. In 2019 he headlined a production of
Barnum. In 2022 he was in a production of
Cinderella. Beginning in 2023 he was in a production of
Wicked as The Wizard. ==Personal life==