Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical
presented by Sydney Theatre Company
Sun, 15 Nov 2026 — Sun, 3 Jan 2027
Venue
Roslyn Packer Theatre
Sydney, NSW
Production company
Sydney Theatre Company
Notable cast
Michael Paynter as John, • Bonnie Anderson as Gaynor Wheatley • Ben Hall as Glenn Wheatley • Laura Murphy as Jill Farnham (John's wife) • Oliver Lacey as Ross Fraser • Ariyan Sharma as David Hirschfelder • Tom Sharah as Darryl Sambell
Accessibility
AuslanAuslan is offered at selected performances, marked below.
John Farnham. King of Pop. Australian hero. The voice of a generation. But as a cash-strapped father, approaching middle age, in the midst of an Australian rock revolution, it could have gone a very different way. In an outer Melbourne suburban garage in 1986, Farnham, with a new band and manager Glenn Wheatley, began work on an album and a song called You’re the Voice that would transform his career and their lives. This is the story of an overnight sensation, 20 years in the making. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the highest-selling Australian album of all time, Whispering Jack, Sydney Theatre Company and Artistic Director Mitchell Butel join forces with Michael Cassel Group (Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), TalentWorks (Finding the Voice) and acclaimed writer Jack Yabsley (Gold Diggers) to bring Farnham’s life, mischief and musical genius to the stage. Starring vocal powerhouse Michael Paynter (Jesus Christ Superstar) as the legend himself and a cast and creative team of some of our most exciting theatremakers, Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical is a celebration, not just of hits like Pressure Down, Age of Reason, Two Strong Hearts and That’s Freedom, but also of friendship, family and a great Australian artist’s desire to shine a light on the world around us. This time, he’s playing to win.
Performances
- Sunday 15 November 20267:30pm
- Wednesday 18 November 20267:30pm
- Thursday 19 November 20267:30pm
- Friday 20 November 20267:30pm
- Saturday 21 November 20261:30pm7:30pm
- Sunday 22 November 20266pm
- Wednesday 25 November 20267:30pm
- Thursday 26 November 20267:30pm
- Friday 27 November 20267:30pm
- Saturday 28 November 20261:30pm7:30pm
- Sunday 29 November 20261pm6pm
- Tuesday 1 December 20266:30pm
- Wednesday 2 December 20267:30pm
- Thursday 3 December 20267:30pm
- Friday 4 December 20267:30pm
- Saturday 5 December 20261:30pm7:30pm
- Sunday 6 December 20261pm6pm
- Tuesday 8 December 20266:30pm
- Wednesday 9 December 20267:30pm
- Thursday 10 December 20267:30pm
- Friday 11 December 20267:30pm
- Saturday 12 December 20261:30pm7:30pm
- Sunday 13 December 20261pm Auslan6pm Auslan
- Tuesday 15 December 20266:30pm
- Wednesday 16 December 20267:30pm
- Thursday 17 December 20267:30pm
- Friday 18 December 20267:30pm
- Saturday 19 December 20261:30pm7:30pm
- Sunday 20 December 20261pm6pm
- Tuesday 22 December 20266:30pm
- Wednesday 23 December 20267:30pm
- Thursday 24 December 20267:30pm
- Friday 25 December 20267:30pm
- Saturday 26 December 20261:30pm7:30pm
- Sunday 27 December 20261pm6pm
- Tuesday 29 December 20266:30pm
- Wednesday 30 December 20267:30pm
- Thursday 31 December 20267:30pm
- Friday 1 January 20277:30pm
- Saturday 2 January 20271:30pm7:30pm
- Sunday 3 January 20271pm6pm