Michael Paynter has been cast as John Farnham in the upcoming stage production Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical, a new Australian musical set to premiere in Sydney later this year.
The production will open at the Roslyn Packer Theatre in November, marking 40 years since Farnham’s Whispering Jack album first transformed him from a working pop singer into one of Australia’s most commercially dominant recording artists.
Michael Paynter
The musical, led by Sydney Theatre Company Artistic Director Mitchell Butel, will dramatise the making and impact of the 1986 album, which remains one of the highest-selling records in Australian music history.
Paynter, best known for his pop career in the late 2000s, will take on the role of Farnham in a show designed to blend biography, catalogue musical and national nostalgia into a major commercial theatre event for the Sydney market.
Paynter will step into the titular role, fresh from thrilling audiences last year with husband Sydney Theatre Award-winning performance in Jesus Christ Superstar.
Paynter says that being asked to tell the story of “the greatest voice this country has produced’’ is an honour that is “hard to put into words.”
“For me, John Farnham is the absolute zenith of male singers in all of history. The gold standard that I have spent my entire life being blessed and instructed by. After the whirlwind of the last year, being chosen to be a part of this musical, on the Sydney Theatre Company stage, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said.
According to Butel, Paynter’s performance of Gethsemane in Jesus Christ Superstar confirmed him as the ideal actor to portray Farnham.
“How do you cast someone to play one of the greatest singers who’s ever lived? First, you have to try and find a voice as golden, powerful and rich. But John Farnham is more than just an incredible voice. He is the ultimate showman and musical storyteller, with a rare ability to open his heart and connect with every person in his audience.
“When I watched Michael in Jesus Christ Superstar, his voice and performance took my breath away. During our audition process, it’s been a joy watching Michael unlock a warmth and charm and wit that is spookily Farnham-like as well,” Butel explains.
Michael Cassel said that it was an ‘’an enormous responsibility’’ to find the right performer to portray Farnham: “When Michael Paynter auditioned, his extraordinary vocal ability and emotional connection to the material immediately set him apart. There was a palpable sense of excitement in the room, and it was clear we were witnessing something exceptional.”
Tickets to Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical go on sale today.