THERE’s a classic line from the film Field of Dreams, ‘If you build it they will come’.
Andrew Kelly built it with his script for the stage play Second Coming, the cast delivered it and as word spread throughout the week, the local punters came.
What started with a stir of die-hard supporters last Sunday turned into one of the biggest events on Swan Hill’s 2019 entertainment calendar.
When Andrew Kelly began writing the play 15 years ago, he always imagined it would make it to the stage.
But as life has a habit of doing, it was pushed to the back burner and what was a deeply personal journey to write, became a finely-tuned piece of work over time.
Speaking with Mr Kelly on opening night he said he’d much rather be at home and just receive a call to say how it all went.
“I feel humbled by the way people have connected with it,” he said.
“I’m grateful to the community for their support and I am proud of the way people have reacted to it and have been touched by it.
“It all feels a bit surreal at the moment though.”
The theatre filled out nicely for the first performance and the show was an immediate success from the moment the curtain opened.
Co-director and actor Paul Fergus Morris said the crowd just got it.
“The feedback we have gotten has been incredible,” he said.
“I’ve been very humbled by the response I’ve received from the local community.
“We’ve performed here a few times now and the Swan Hill community has always been amazing.”
Morris plays Jim, the central character who commits suicide at the start of the show.
Given the chance to re-live his life, Morris takes the audience on an emotional journey full of ups and downs.
One moment the audience is laughing, the next they’re gripped in the emotional turmoil of living with mental health and suicide ideation.
And then they’re laughing again.
Co-director and actor Andrew Hondromatidis summed it up succinctly.
“The audience were so responsive to the themes we addressed,” he said.
“It really felt like we touched people in different ways.
“They were uplifted by the comedy as well as touched with emotion by the topic of mental health which is still a bit of a taboo topic, especially in some country areas,” he said.
Mr Hondromatidis played the complex villain who epitomised temptation and was hard to dislike, even though we knew we should.
He delivered a powerful performance complemented by a remarkable baritone voice, a refreshing contrast to Mr Morris’ rock voice.
The supporting cast offered hidden gems also — comedy, sex appeal and talented vocalists in their own right.
The cast have been staying in town for the past week and Kevin Hopkins, who plays dad in the show, said the play was “a wonderful story from a local writer and the town should be very proud”.
Natalie Bond played the role of Frangipani and said she had been chuffed with the support she had received after the first show.
“I’ve received wonderful feedback from local businesses and the local community in general,” she said.
“We’ve had people coming up to us saying how great the show was with many saying they’re coming back for second time.
“It’s been a great experience and something I will remember fondly.”
By the second performance on Tuesday night, the town was alight with talk of the new stage show and it was soon sold out.
Dianne Lloyd attended Tuesday night’s performance with friend Vicki Watts.
“I’d not heard about the show but I was at the RSL and saw the cast there”, she said.
“I spoke with Paul, who has such charisma and presence and then he sang a song and he just drew me in.
“He seemed like a really genuine person and made me feel comfortable so I booked a ticket for the show.”
Ms Watts said she had heard people at work talking about Sunday’s performance.
“A girl at work was talking about it and I had read an article in Friday’s edition of The Guardian and I was intrigued, so I decided to come and see it for myself.”
While the performers took centre stage, credit must also go to the crew who coordinated the multi-faceted lighting and sound.
Swan Hill’s Julie Romeo implemented a complex lighting system that was pivotal to the story with expertise and precision along with assistant Heidi Holland.
Tooleybuc’s Callum McNab took time out from his audio studies in Melbourne to bring some of Australia’s greatest music hits to life.
These aspects were as important to the storyline as the cast and script.
As the week progressed, momentum continued to build as those who saw the show took to social media to express their praise.
“They did it better than I could ever have hoped,” Mr Kelly said of the cast and crew’s presentation of his work.
“It won’t stop here though, the plan is to take it to a broader audience and give it as far a ride as it can go.
“I think telling stories is the most human thing — it’s universal.
“I’d like to thank Swan Hill for giving me the chance to tell them this story.”
At the time of going to print, Thursday’s performance was sold out but tickets were still available for tonight and tomorrow’s grand finale performance.
