THE Kelly Gang rolled into Bendigo during the week as the cast of NED: A New Australian Musical stepped out into the CBD.
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The locally-produced show opens at the Ulumbarra Theatre on Friday and runs until May 31.
Nelson Gardner, who plays iconic outlaw Ned Kelly, said he enjoyed getting out in Bendigo in character.
"It was pretty cool. We got a few horn honks," he said.
"It's not something I imagined I would be doing when I used to live here – wandering around dressed as Ned Kelly."
The armour Gardner wears for the show weighs about 11 kilograms. Kelly's original armour weighed 44kg.
"It still gets heavy after a while but I wore a more authentic replica that was 30kgs. It was impossible to move in. I can't imagine what his armour was like)," he said.
"(The 11kg armour) is still tricky to move in, which is good. But it's tricky to fall over in. It's not the most graceful action, so it's probably fairly accurate."
Gardner and the rest of the Ned team are excited for the world premiere.
It has been a long journey for Gardner who helped workshop the show two years ago.
"It has been a very, very, very long journey. There are some things I still remember from very first draft of very first workshop," he said.
"There were some lines that shouldn’t have seen light of day but that’s what workshop for.
"For me, I also had fair bit of influence and contribution as (Ned's character) developed. He's a little bit more complicated now."
Gardner began his theatrical career at Bendigo Theatre Company. This show has seen him reunite with some former cast mates.
"The last time I was in a Bendigo show, (ensemble cast member) Abe Watson was in it and he was tiny. Just a little kid," Gardner said.
"Evie (Evangeline Victoria) was a munchkin in the Wizard of Oz while I was the Tin Man.
"Lighting designer Rob Sowinski worked on a lot of things with us as well. It has been a bit of a reunion."
Visit www.nedmusical.com.au for more information.