Sydney Theatre Company has added nine performances of Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical, extending the season for a second time due to popular demand.
Produced by Sydney Theatre Company in association with Michael Cassel and Gaynor Wheatley, the world premiere season will now play Roslyn Packer Theatre for seven weeks from Sunday 15 November 2026 – Sunday 3 January 2027.
Tickets to the final week of performances are now on sale at the website.
STC Artistic Director Mitchell Butel, who will direct the musical, also confirmed that performers Bonnie Anderson and Ben Hall will join Michael Paynter (playing John Farnham) in the roles of Gaynor and Glenn Wheatley.
They will be joined by an ensemble cast (still to be announced) to bring to life the extraordinary story behind the album that made John Farnham a household name and Whispering Jack the highest selling Australian album of all time.
STC Artistic Director Mitchell Butel said:
“I am beyond thrilled that Ben Hall and Bonnie Anderson — two supreme and beloved talents — will take on these crucial roles in our show. Ben’s ability to capture the fire and drive of Glenn Wheatley blew us all over in auditions.
Having now gotten to know the truly divine and indomitable Gaynor Wheatley in the process of creating this show, I’m delighted that we’ve found someone in Bonnie who can bring to life Gaynor’s charm, wit and grace so winningly. John Farnham declared to the world in song to ‘have a little faith in us’ and I have so much faith in these two blazing stars.”
Singer, songwriter and actor Bonnie Anderson first captured the nation’s attention at just 12 years old, winning the inaugural season of Australia’s Got Talent.
Since then, she has performed and released music as a solo artist, was nominated in the 2019 Logie Awards for most popular new talent for her portrayal as Bea Nilsson in Neighbours (2018–2021), and took the crown in Network Ten’s reality show The Masked Singer Australia in 2021.
Ben Hall is currently starring as Edward Lewis in the national tour of Pretty Woman: The Musical, following acclaimed performances as Sam Phillips in Elvis: A Musical Revolution.
His extensive musical theatre credits include Boublil and Schönberg’s Les Misérables and the beloved Australian production Only Heaven Knows. On screen, Hall is well known for his long-running role as Ned Willis in Neighbours, where his character was romantically involved with Bea Nilsson, played by Bonnie Anderson.
ABOUT WHISPERING JACK: THE JOHN FARNHAM MUSICAL
In 1986, John Farnham was approaching middle-age and a financially struggling artist. Working out of a suburban garage in outer Melbourne with a new band and manager Glenn Wheatley, he began recording an album that would ultimately redefine his place in Australian music.
That album, Whispering Jack, with its lead single You’re the Voice would go on to become a cultural landmark: making Farnham a house-hold name and a national treasure.
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), Gaynor Wheatley and acclaimed writer Jack Yabsley (Gold Diggers) to bring Farnham’s life, mischief and musical genius to the stage.
ABOUT SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY
Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is Australia’s largest theatre company and has been a major force in Australian drama since its establishment in 1978. STC presents an annual curated program of around 700 performances a year at its two venues in Sydney’s Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, the Wharf Theatres, the Company’s home within a repurposed 100-year-old shipping wharf on Sydney Harbour, the Roslyn Packer Theatre, and as a resident company of Sydney Opera House.
Helpmann Award-winning Australian actor and director Mitchell Butel has been Artistic Director since November 2024.
STC is dedicated to producing works of ambition and scale, commissioning and presenting Australian plays, new interpretations of the classic repertoire and the best of new international writing.
Internationally renowned artists who have worked with STC include Cate Blanchett, who was co-Artistic Director of STC with her husband, writer/director Andrew Upton from 2008-2013. Actors Rose Byrne, Toni Collette, Judy Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Joel Edgerton, Yerin Ha, Isabelle Huppert, Tim Minchin, Richard Roxburgh, Eliza Scanlen, Sarah Snook, Mia Wasikowska, Jackie Weaver, Hugo Weaving and Sam Worthington. Directors John Crowley, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barrie Kosky and Steven Soderbergh. Writers Tony McNamara (The Great), Suzie Miller (Prima Facie, RBG: Of Many, One) and Joanna Murray-Smith (Honour, Switzerland).
Sydney Theatre Company productions that have toured internationally include former STC Artistic Director Kip Williams’ productions of The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Sarah Snook to the West End’s Theatre Royal Haymarket (2024) and Broadway (2025) and Dracula starring Cynthia Erivo to the West End’s Noel Coward Theatre in 2026; The Present on Broadway, Hedda Gabler and A Streetcar Named Desire at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Uncle Vanya at the Lincoln Center Festival and the Kennedy Center, and The Maids at New York City Center; The Secret River to Edinburgh International Festival and at the National Theatre in London and Gross und Klein (Big and Small) and Waiting for Godot, at The Barbican, London.
ABOUT MICHAEL CASSEL
Since launching Michael Cassel Group in 2012, Michael has produced major theatrical productions across Australia, Broadway, the West End and Asia. He was the lead producer of the Broadway and West End premiere of Sydney Theatre Company’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring Sarah Snook, which won two Tony Awards and two Olivier Awards.
His other credits include MJ the Musical, Beetlejuice The Musical, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Dear Evan Hansen, Titanique and the upcoming West End production of Dracula starring Cynthia Erivo. Cassel has also produced global tours of The Lion King, Les Misérables and & Juliet, as well as televised events and concerts including The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Darren Criss and Patti LuPone.
He was appointed a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for his service to theatre, holds honorary doctorates from the University of Wollongong and Griffith University, and serves on the Board of the NIDA Foundation Trust, an independent body that raises funds for the National Institute of Dramatic Arts.
ABOUT GAYNOR WHEATLEY
Gaynor Wheatley’s journey from a celebrated actress to a supportive figure in the Australian music scene underscores her enduring presence and influence within the industry. She was married to Glenn Wheatley, and they were both instrumental in the career of John Farnham, having mortgaged their home to finance Farnham’s 1986 album WHISPERING JACK which became the highest-selling album by an Australian artist.
Gaynor Wheatley has remained active in the music community. She played a key role in the 2023 documentary John Farnham: Finding the Voice, which chronicles the life and career of the Australian music icon. Most recently, as John’s manager, Gaynor oversaw the release of his memoir The Voice Inside, which was named Book of the Year in 2024.
Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical plays Sydney Theatre Company’s Roslyn Packer Theatre from 15 November 2026 – 3 January 2027.
Tickets are on sale now at the website.
Website: sydneytheatre.com.au
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/sydneytheatreco/
Images supplied.
WHISPERING JACK: THE JOHN FARNHAM MUSICAL
Book by Jack Yabsley
Directed by Mitchell Butel
Presented by Sydney Theatre Company
In association with Michael Cassel and Gaynor Wheatley
With Bonnie Anderson, Ben Hall, Michael Paynter and more cast to be announced.
Director Mitchell Butel Choreographer Fabian Aloise Music Supervisor & Arrangements Carmel Dean Orchestrator Kris Kukul Set Designer Jeremy Allen Costume Designer Renée Mulder Lighting Designer Matt Scott Music Director Zara Stanton Associate Director Kenneth Moraleda
