Tagline - A second chance at first love.

Logline - Simon Smith inherits The Old Abernathy Theatre, a fire damaged ruin and collaborates with the local School for the Performing Arts to put on his first show, Ebenezer, A Lover Story, when, out of the blue, the love that never was walks through the door, turning his life upside down.

SYNOPSIS:

Simon a writer inherits a Theatre, The Abernathy Theatre

The Will, what there was of it, was discovered by Linda whilst sorting through his paperwork, inside a copy of Ebenezer written by Simon himself. Linda was an old friend and secret love interest of Simon’s.

Simon goes to see it and it is a mess. Everything is black with soot; beams show signs of the fire that has gutted the foyer. The main auditorium fared better; the seats were still intact, though filthy with soot and stained from water damage. Time had ravaged the stage, the curtains were in tatters, the scenery painting has bird droppings streaming down it the stage itself was sound but littered with debris, old props and lighting gantries.

However, behind the first scenery painting, others remained intact and remarkably fresh looking. The lighting gantries, although lowered to the stage still worked, though needed new ropes to haul them aloft once more. The curtains had to go, but the blackout curtains were usable.

Debt collectors turn up and threaten Simon, seeking £30,000, money George Abernathy owed. Debts they now claimed belonged to Simon.

In a bold and crazy move, Simon sells his home and moves into the Theatre, paying of half the debt, buying time. He is excited, buzzing at the prospects of putting on a show. Ebenezer! He’ll show ‘em.

Ebenezer, the lover story, Ebenezer the musical. Ebenezer the love story musical!

He has to find a director, a stage manager, stage crew, actors, money!

Heading for the local Drama school, he recruits his cast and crew. The SHOW will go on.

At night, the creaking and groaning of the old theatre would wake him suddenly, and despite telling himself it was just the floorboards cracking, the joists snapping as they flexed in the cooling night air, he got up and padded around the rooms, tucked at the back of the theatre, just to check. And meets a ghost. The Ghost of George Abernathy.

Abernathy tells Simon how he and his wife died in the fire.

Linda, the insurance assessor turns up to see Simon, shocking him, as she was a school crush of his, more, he loved her. She explains why the insurance never paid out on the painting, listed as a Paul Cezanne, as it was an unknown piece, unauthenticated, and the composition, a painting of the theatre itself, unlikely by Cezanne. She determined the fire was arson and that the painting wasn’t hanging on the wall at the time, but as both George and his wife lost their lives, they listed it as accidental.

Auditions start and the challenge of finding an Ebenezer to play both young and old pushes Simon into playing Old Ebenezer, whilst a younger student plays Young Ebenezer.

Rehearsals start.

Linda stops by frequently to the theatre to see how Simon is getting on. Simon, whilst talking to the Ghost of Abernathy, reflects on what could have been. He remembers the night of the party where he tells another boy he is “working on it” meaning he is working on gathering the courage to ask Linda out, but she hears him and takes umbrage ‘I don’t like being worked upon Simon,’ she declares, leaving the party with her friend Lisa. The last he saw of her, until now.

In parallel, the story of Ebenezer, though following traditional lines, focuses on Belle, the love interest who, early in the original story, releases him from their “understanding” as he pursues wealth and power.

The ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, (played by Abernathy) show him life with Belle (past) her life now and his, both single again, and the future, where she goes on to marry, but unhappy and he lives a single life, and dies alone.

During one visit, Linda sees publicity photos taken of the night of the fire, recognising a renowned Cezanne expert studying the painting alongside Ashmonger. A painting Ashmonger has recently declared within his possession, as settlement of a £30,000 debt.

Linda and Simon head to France to investigation the provenance of the Old Abernathy painting, seeking anything that could tie Cezanne to the painting.

The theatre show builds as rehearsals take place but disaster strikes when the place is shut down as unsuitable to serve food and drink – the hot chocolate and warm cookies planned for the interval key as they were promised as part of the ticket price.

Visiting Ashmonger’s office, Simon finally sees the painting for the first time and Linda is convinced it’s a Cezanne. They also spot the two goons who roughed Simon up, demanding money. Ashmonger asked Linda out for dinner.

Reading the closure notice carefully, Linda spots it highlights the kitchen as being unsuitable to serve Hot Chocolate and Cookies, not the whole theatre, so together with Simon, they clean the kitchen from top to bottom. THE SHOW GOES ON. Simon and Linda share their feelings for each other as they sit, back to back, exhausted and tired, covered in dirt, having cleaned all night.

The painting is a FAKE! Linda brings the news Simon and George. The painting Ashmonger has is a fake, a very good one, but a fake nevertheless. She also brings CCTV footage, recorded on the night of the fire, which shows the two goons that shook Simon down for the £30,000 debt and in Ashmonger’s office, stealing the photo and setting fire to the theatre.

Satisfied the murderers have been caught George councils Simon to let it go but he is incensed that Ashmonger is going to get away with murder and the theft of the painting, convinced Ashmonger has the original somewhere. Angry he kicks a bucket of water, which drains away through the floorboards, revealing a room under the foyer, a room containing the original painting.

George finally comes clean, explaining he had the fake made, planning to sell it Ashmonger instead of the original. George knew Ashmonger knew it was by Cezanne and paid the expert to lie to get the painting cheap, so planned on teaching him a lesson. He never imagined he would send his goons to steal it and kill him and his wife in the process, the guilt of which held him within the theatre, unwilling to move on.

His wife materialises, and he begs forgiveness. His wife, Mary, tells him he is an old fool and nothing to feel guilty about, as he hadn’t set the fire that killed them both.

The show is a success. Ebenezer gets the girl, Simon gets the girl, and George gets his girl, as his wife joins him in her ghostly form. More news, beneath the painting of the old theatre is an older piece, a painting of two men playing cards, the original ‘The Card Players’ its successor having sold for $274million.

The National Gallery offer to rent the painting for £1million a year, and plan on putting on an exhibition, telling their story. There’s even talk of a movie!

A copy of the painting is part of the offer, so Simon can hang it in the Theatre, restoring the legend, as long as it hangs there, the Old Abernathy is safe, and the Show will go on!’