Michael Cassel told Good Weekend that the idea emerged in 2013, when he was a newly established producer, and Glenn Wheatley, Farnham's manager and best friend, agreed on one condition. "The one thing we can't do is make it biographical," Wheatley said. "John is very private, he wouldn't want to see his life on stage. So let's take the music and come up with an original idea for it." Cassel noted that Mamma Mia! had done the same with Abba's catalogue.
Wheatley's career had included playing bass for The Masters Apprentices, taking Little River Band to the US, discovering a teenage Delta Goodrem and mortgaging his house to reignite Farnham's career with the 1986 album Whispering Jack. Cassel recalled Wheatley's enthusiasm for the musical project, joking that Wheatley was ready to send out opening-night invitations at the first meeting. "I'm like, 'OK, let's send out the opening-night invitations' when we've just started talking about something," Cassel said. "I think Glenn beat me to that punchline." He added: "We've got to get the show right first, because in the musicals world you only get one chance."
It was not until 2019 that the team called for writers to pitch storylines, settling on the Eureka Stockade. During COVID-19 lockdowns they held readings and a workshop. Cassel asked music supervisor Carmel Dean to orchestrate Farnham hits including Age of Reason, Two Strong Hearts, Touch of Paradise and You're the Voice. He bought a pair of giant speakers for the boardroom to maximise the impact when Wheatley came in to hear them. "I had the vision of where we were going but I always wanted to make sure Glenn was absolutely invested, too," Cassel said. "Because, if he wasn't, it wouldn't happen."
The feature says Gaynor Wheatley, who took over as John Farnham's manager, is now helping bring the musical to the stage.