Entertainment

State of Origin musical Home Ground 'a musical for the footy fans'

  • 14 reading now

Football and musical theatre may not seem a likely pairing, but the creators of a musical about State of Origin have high hopes of changing all that.

Five years in the making, Home Ground: The State of Origin Musical very nearly didn't make it this far.

Writer Hugh Lunn said securing funding and support for a musical about sport and aimed squarely at Queenslanders proved difficult.

"I sat down and wrote it, and none of the theatres were interested," he said.

"And a lot of them said 'rugby league people wouldn't go to the theatre', and I said, 'But you're always saying you want more people to come to the theatre, and there's all these people who don't go and you don't want them?' "

Mr Lunn received the blessing of Maroons legend Wally Lewis, who was to be portrayed in the production.

Advertisement

"Hugh Lunn is a guy that's been there since the creation of State of Origin footy, so he's certainly very well educated on the subject," Lewis said.

Mr Lunn, a journalist and author, also said he was fine with the fact the musical wouldn't translate well for other states.

"It's not for anyone else, it's for us. There's 5 million of us in Queensland."

The musical centres around the origin of the modern State of Origin series in the late 1970s, following Queensland rugby league president Ron McAuliffe who is out to resurrect Queensland's hopes of winning the state-based competition, and up-and-coming footy star Lewis.

Mr Lunn said he had the idea after the devastating floods and cyclones of 2011.

"I thought Queensland needs something to wake the soul and mend the heart and I thought we should remind them of something great we've achieved," he said.

"The only thing I could think of that connects the whole state of Queensland ... is State of Origin."

Director John Senczuk, who said he was often asked how he could create a musical about the State of Origin, said its themes were universal.

"It's simple, it has a great force and personality, and they are at odds in a sensational conflict," he said.

"It could be the scenario for Les Miserables or The Lion King."

But unlike Les Miserables or The Lion King, Home Ground as a "musical for the footy fans" in Mr Senczuk's words, has a far narrower appeal.

Actor Peter Cousens, so far the only non-Queenslander involved in the production, said he believed plenty of football fans would turn out to see the musical.

"I'd done some research with rugby union about the Waratahs and the people who went to see those football matches, their second choice for entertainment was musical theatre," he said.

"I don't know whether that's the same in Queensland ... but hey, what a good audience to bring into the theatre."

While it's not the first Australian musical to tackle sport - Eddie Perfect's Shane Warne The Musical was years ahead - at a glance, Home Ground does not appear to have the same comic focus, with the signature song We Bleed Maroon more bleeding hearts than humour.

With no financial support from the Queensland government, funding was provided by a group of about 20 Brisbane business identities who were keen to bring a local story to a local audience.

Featuring a cast of 20 and an original score by Queensland composer Bradley McCaw that includes 18 songs, the musical premieres on June 23 at the Edmund Rice Performing Arts Centre in South Brisbane.