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?
Jimmy Smith
Expert
Are you kidding me? This would be great. Even a commercial success I believe. The appetite for Origin in Qld and NSW is enormous. I remember going to see Run Rabbit Run at the Belvoir St Theatre after the reintroduction of South Sydney. Was a really clever way of retelling history with a personal touch. Open your eyes (and ears) folks!!
Bakkies
Guest
There is a Rugby play 'Alone it Stands' based on Munster's win over the All Blacks in 1978. Been doing the rounds for the past 16 years or so
Wilson
Guest
I'll even come down from Cairns to watch this, what a hoot!
Les Boyd's Elbow
Guest
I think the Roman's had a term for people like you BigJ. Plebeian, or Philistine could also be used in this context.
Lee Hockey
Guest
Most Queenslanders love Origin, most NSW people don't, so this show could go alright in Brisbane. A musical based on Origin and performed in NSW wouldn't work - NSW get stagefright and fluff their lines on the big stage ;)
Rick Diznek
Guest
Some quality commentary here. Imagine a rugby union based one? It was in development but benched out of the usual lack of interest.
BigJ
Roar Guru
Please tell me how theatre is culture??? What culture?? Based on what some garabage some knucklehead wrote five hundred years ago that Disney movies have been milking for decades??? No thanks I'll stick to real live thanks.
Bill
Guest
Yep imagine league fans actually having an interest in some culture.
BrainsTrust
Guest
You must be too young to remember the yearly rugby league yearly show, was it New faces, bernard King was a judge, I remember when Eric Grothe actually sang, was it his own orgiinal song and they didn;t really appreciate his folk song style, they seemed to prefer blokes in drag miming.
Lee Oliver
Roar Rookie
Yes, so maybe "legendary" in reference to Peter's small screen career is a stretch. But he was a star in musical theatre and a star of the hit Aussie TV series 'Return to Eden', which was a big deal in the 1980s... like Fatty Vautin.
andrew
Guest
"Peter Cousens, legendary star of stage and screen" Okay so I IMDB checked him and he has had 4 one off appearances on TV shows you have never heard of in the last 25 years. So about as much of a legend as Paul Vautin. I am calling mayo on this. It has to be an elaborate hoax to entertain some board league fans in the summer?
andrew
Guest
Just checking... nope not April 1st. "Can’t wait to see the reaction of the audience if the musical gets a run near the Queensland-New South Wales border." In order to observe the audience reaction., there would first need to be an audience. While it is a generalisation, i will say that most people into low budget theatre, probably have no interest in the history of Origin, and people who love the history of Origin, probably, in general, don't go to many low budget theatre productions..
BigJ
Roar Guru
actually now i think about, i bloody well hope so
up in the north
Roar Rookie
This is a joke? Right??
BigJ
Roar Guru
who the hell is going to watch a musical base on orgin???? Last I checked footy fans dont watch musicals, but on the plus side it would be the first time that a fella drags his missus to the threate, ha ha ha, payback ladies.