Wally Lewis, Mal Meninga and Chris Close will be hitting the stage in Brisbane this winter.
But don’t worry, precious eardrums, the Queensland rugby league legends won’t be treading the boards and breaking out into song.
Instead, the State of Origin pioneers are the subject of the musical that footy-loving Queenslanders have been waiting for.
Home Ground: The State of Origin Musical will premiere in June at the Edmund Rice Performing Arts Centre, just a drop-kick over the Brisbane River from Queensland’s home of rugby league, Lang Park.
Featuring the original signature anthem, ‘We Bleed Maroon’, the musical depicts the early days of Australia’s greatest sporting rivalry, the annual clash of Queensland and New South Wales’ home-grown rugby league teams, conceived in 1980.
Lewis, Meninga, Close, Kerry Boustead and Brad Backer will be portrayed in the musical, as will the late icons Arthur Beetson and former Queensland Rugby League supremo, Ron McAuliffe.
Even former Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen and Kevin Humphries, infamous president of the New South Wales Rugby League, will get a run.
The musical retelling of the genesis of one of Australia’s most revered and successful sporting concepts was conceived by journalist and author Hugh Lunn.
Just like when Queensland enlisted ‘Big Artie’, ‘King Wally’, Paul ‘Fatty’ Vautin and ‘Big Mal’ to coach the Maroons, the Home Ground producers have signed a household name to lead its team.
Peter Cousens, legendary star of stage and screen, who had the lead role in the world famous musical “Phantom of the Opera” in London’s West End, will play Kevin Humphries.
That’s kind of like when Queensland brought Allan Langer back from the UK Super League to seal the Maroons’ State of Origin series win in 2001 with victory in Game 3.
Home Ground: The State of Origin Musical will have its world premiere on June 23, two nights after Game 2 of this year’s 38th State of Origin series.
Can’t wait to see the reaction of the audience if the musical gets a run near the Queensland-New South Wales border.
Perhaps Twin Towns or Seagulls, home of defunct league battlers the Gold Coast-Tweed Giants and Gold Coast Seagulls, might be suitable venues?
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