It is an adaptation of C. J. Dennis' The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke.
The musical premiered by the Melbourne Theatre Company at the Playhouse, Victorian Arts Centre on 12 December 1985.
It featured John Jarratt as The Sentimental Bloke, Julie Mullins as Doreen, Michael Bishop as Ginger Mick, and Faye Bendrups as Rose.
Dennis' original verse novel, with an earlier work also titled The Sentimental Bloke having its professional premiere in 1961.
The Dreyfus-Blundell version also covers content from the Dennis' sequels such as Ginger Mick in the First World War.