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PERTH, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 04: John Farnham performs on stage at Falls Festival on January 4, 2020 in Fremantle, Australia. (Photo by Matt Jelonek/Wire Image)
Photo by Matt Jelonek/Wire Image
Jack is back, this time as the hero of his own musical.
The 40th anniversary of John Farnham’s record-smashing 1986 album Whispering Jack will be celebrated with a new musical.
Produced by Michael Cassel and Gaynor Wheatley, Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical will go behind the scenes of the five years that defined the Australian artist’s transformation from a broke former teen idol to the voice of his generation.
The project will enjoy its world premiere at Sydney Theatre Company in November 2026.
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At its heart, reads a statement, is the story of the people who stood beside him: Jill Farnham, his wife and “pillar of strength,” and Glenn Wheatley, his manager and friend “who risked everything to make the dream a reality”.
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With Whispering Jack, Farnham became a homegrown superstar. The Sony Music release spent 25 weeks at No. 1, en route to shifting more than one million copies, becoming the first domestic LP to do so. It remains the highest-selling album ever in Australia by a local talent.
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Powering Whispering Jack is Farnham’s signature song, “You’re The Voice,” a top 10 hit in the U.K. and, four decades on, the unofficial anthem of Australia.
The musical is written by Jack Yabsley, directed by Mitchell Butel, and will be soundtracked by Farnham’s greatest hits alongside classics of the era.
“Musicals have always held a very special place in my heart as it’s where I met Jill,” Farnham comments in a statement. “To see this part of my story brought to life on stage is an adventure that might just require you strapping on your seatbelt! For me it has always been about the songs. From ‘Sadie’ to ‘You’re the Voice,’ I am forever grateful for both these songs and the people who connect with my music.”
Those quotes, although delivered by email, will feel like some relief for Farnham’s many fans. The legendary, ARIA Hall of Fame-inducted singer faced his toughest comeback yet, when he underwent major surgery to remove a cancerous growth in August 2022. Since then, he has made only a handful of rare public appearances, and last October was heard for the first time in more than two years in an audiobook excerpt for his memoir.
The forthcoming musical follows the 2023 release of John Farnham: Finding the Voice, which became the all-time highest-grossing Australian music documentary in these parts.
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“Whispering Jack isn’t just an album, it’s part of the fabric of this country,” comments Gaynor Wheatley. “Glenn believed in John when others didn’t, and together with Jill, we risked everything to make it happen. To now see that story come alive on stage, with all of its heart, humor, and grit, produced with Michael Cassel and this magnificent creative team, is deeply personal and incredibly exciting. John’s legacy deserves nothing less than this kind of theatrical celebration.”
General Public single ticket on-sale details will be announced at a later date. Visit sydneytheatre.com.au for more.
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