A man is wrongfully convicted for the murder of a young girl and is subsequently hung for it. He leaves behind a wife and daughter grieving the loss of their loved one, and, as he sends them his final prayer, he vows to return and give them a sign that all is well in the spirit world.

The man responsible for the murder arrives at the inn and boasts that he has managed to escape conviction, declaring himself to have got away with murder and in a brawl with the young girl's lover is killed by him.

As the spirit of the Innocent Man returns to offer comfort to his grieving wife and daughter, he brings with him the spirit of the Criminal and in a battle for good to reign over evil the two men fight to gain supremacy.

As Gary’s story developed it pulled on other classics like Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, represented in this new story by the conflict between the Innocent Man and The Criminal with the good spirit fighting to suppress the evil that is trying to over power him. There’s also a hint of Rogers & Hammerstein’s Carousel, with The Innocent Man returning to watch over his daughter, and, like the ill-fated Billy Bigelow who tries to hand his daughter a star on the beach, Gary’s Innocent Man leaves a rose by the river for his daughter as an endearing sign of his undying love for his family. He knows the rose will be a symbol to his wife, and in that closing message, he leaves them to journey on - but not before bringing the criminal to justice.

“It’s not all gloom and doom though” insists Gary, who confesses to being a romantic at heart. “Destiny is a story about a man's love for his wife and daughter and shows how, against all odds, he wants them to know just how much he loves them. His encounter with the evil spirit is simply my way of underlining his determination to send his message home and gaining ultimate control over the criminal provides an opportunity for him to prove his innocence and rest at peace as he journeys to heaven. Some might say it’s a sad tale, but it’s a gutsy one too, with great chorus work and a sprinkling of comedy as well”

The Essex Group are well known for their high energy productions and have achieved International acclaim with over twenty awards to their credit for both performance and technical staging. Gary Himself is a recipient of the Best Singer Award for his portrayal of Quasimodo, in his production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Waterford Festival in Ireland and will be creating the role of Belvere the Innocent Man in Destiny when it opens at the Queens Theatre on the 25th January.

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