A New Musical Celebrating John Farnham & 40 Years Of 'Whispering Jack' Is In The Works

2026 could see a John Farnham musical celebrating the 40th anniversary of his seminal album, Whispering Jack, hit stages across the country.

Melbourne radio station Gold 104.3 and the Herald Sun report that the musical has been a years-in-the-making project and will focus on the years of Farnham’s epic comeback – 1980-1986.

During that time, Farnham experienced a period as a struggling singer trying to make the Australian music industry take him seriously after some failed starts, a stint as the lead singer of Little River Band, and promoters assuming he was just the boy who once sang Sadie (The Cleaning Lady).

After Australians heard Whispering Jack, however, that was it: suddenly, Farnham was behind one of the highest-selling Australian albums of all time.

The new semi-autobiographical musical comes as a joint effort between Farnham’s longtime manager, Gaynor Wheatley and acclaimed theatre producer Michael Cassel. Previous Broadway figures connected to the musical had credits in the Frozen, Mary Poppins, The Lion King and American Idiot musicals.

The currently unnamed project will feature a suite of Farnham’s most successful hits, including You’re The Voice, Pressure Down, and A Touch Of Paradise, all while tracking the highs and lows of his career, leading to one phenomenal comeback.

Discussing the musical with the Herald Sun, Gaynor Wheatley explained, “Yes, we did a U-turn with the storyline and it’s now biographical, 1980 to 1986.

“The songs have been worked in beautifully with the story. It’s really good. I am hoping it will be ready for 2026 to celebrate 40 years of Whispering Jack.”

The original storyline of the musical was set to follow Australia’s Rum Rebellion of 1808 and feature 22 Farnham songs.

John Farnham released his debut memoir, The Voice Inside, last year. He co-wrote the book alongside Poppy Stockell, director of the documentary John Farnham: Finding The Voice.

Recent years have also seen Farnham be diagnosed with and have surgery for mouth cancer, as well as move forward after the heartbreaking loss of his longtime friend and manager, Glenn Wheatley. In happier news, Farnham welcomed his first grandchild earlier this month.