Better Man

Better Man
By Alex Lycos. Bulldog Theatre Company. Director Alex Lycos. Lighting Design: Bill Illiades. Cast: Jey Osman, Panda Likoudis, Helena Stamoulis, George Harrison, Natalia Ladyko, Alex Lycos, Alicia Gonzalez, Michael Arvithis, Charles Billeh, Nick Mavridis. Sidetrack Theatre, Marrickville (NSW). 24 May to 10 June, 2012.

What shall it profit a man, to be better?

Alex Lycos has been incredibly successful in recent years with his Alex & Eve trilogy, packing The Factory main stage venue for performance after performance. Alex’s new play, Better Man, opens at the Sidetrack, where the Alex & Eve phenomenon all began in 2008.

Alex promises something different this time, but the first half of Better Man is still in the mode of a ribald daytime sit-com, remarkably similar in tone and content to Alex & Eve. Jimmy, the still at home twenty-something son of immigrant Greek parents, seeks to make good, but cannot ever satisfy a father who demands Jimmy own an investment property and a mother who wants the  veto on any bride-to-be. There is also the powerful rivalry between life-long best friends, plus quite a number of night-club and domestic scenes.

In fact, there are a lot of scenes in this play, making it somewhat cinematic in form. Unfortunately, the use of so many scenes in theatre, with their inevitable blackouts and set shuffles, is incredibly distracting from the intersecting narratives about crime, passion and filial obligation. Because connection and energy are lost on stage and audience interest dissipates during these many transitions. Directorial choices facilitating tighter actor interactions, less scenes and more creative use of lighting and sound design would have supercharged the action on stage. The first half drags.

The second half does move along with some sizzle for the stakes. Secrets are revealed, love gushes and tensions rise. The stakes are set, then escalate. But the outcome is predictable. The play is too long and does ramble. Rambling stories and dialogue on stage are often the result of a writer directing their own work. Not usually a good idea. The director brings an objective point of view to a writer’s work, as well as clearly developing the text into stage action.

There are stand out performances come from Natalia Ladyko as Gemma and Panda Likoudis as Frank.

Better Man is amusing and enervating at times, but needs script development and work-shopping before it appears again. Do take a look at this interesting work in progress from one of Sydney’s most prolific, passionate and successful writer/producer/director/actors.

Stephen Carnell

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