How easy is it to be a better man?

Jimmy has it all: a fast car, his choice of beautiful women and a thriving drug business in Marrickville. His God fearing Greek migrant parents are proud as they believe their son is running a legitimate Book Shop.

Jimmy is rocked by the return of his childhood best friend Ricky who is back from America to make his professional Tennis debut at the Australian open.

As the two men try to rekindle a once unbreakable friendship, Jimmy does the unthinkable and dates a bohemian "Newtown" chick and expands his drug dealing business in an attempt to become "champion" of his trade. However, he ignites a territorial war with rival drug dealers.

Better Man is an exploration of the negative consequences of ambition. The need to prove ourselves to our fathers and to metaphorically "kill" them so we can have our own lives. That true peace only comes when we can motivate our success from our own passions rather than the overbearing expectations of parents, friends and society.

History of the production

Originally developed as a feature film script and then redeveloped into a stage production, Better Man had the unenviable task of being our first production after the original Alex and Eve.

Performed from the 10th - 28th of October 2007, Better Man examined the difficulties young adults face trying to navigate to their place in the world and featured a quality cast of experienced actors and newcomers, some of whom would go on to feature in other Bulldog Theatre Company productions.

As a more serious production when compared to Alex and Eve, the play got off to a slow start but once word got round about the quality of the story the sold out signs started coming out and the play was extended to fulfid demand.

Directors note

I first met Alex Lykos in 2006 when I went to see a friend of mine act in his play Alex and Eve. Unexpectedly, I loved it. The play is a universal romantic-comedy story embedded in a culture that isn’t mine (ie not anglo / middle-class), but I instantly recognised the characters and, more than that, I was heartily welcomed into their world. I also found myself surrounded by an audience that was laughing at cultural in-jokes which I didn’t get, but this effect only pulled me further into the story’s cultural setting and never once distracted me from wanting to know what was going to happen next (my own personal test of what makes a good play). I felt like I’d stumbled across something fairly unique, and I sought Alex out after the show to congratulate him.

Over a year later, Alex approached me to direct his next play, Better Man. I was excited by the new script, which kept all of the qualities that I admired about Alex and Eve while telling a completely different kind of story (it’s not romantic comedy any more, folks). We eventually settled on a performance date that allowed me to take the project on, and this was the start of our collaboration. We had readings and rewrites, which enhanced an already-strong script, before we collected a wonderful group of actors and started rehearsals, where we continued to explore and refine the play. I always enjoy this process, and my pleasure was doubled by the enthusiasm and joy that absolutely everyone involved in this project brought with them. More often than not, we all finished rehearsals more energised than when we started. Between rehearsals, if I ever found my own enthusiasm exhausted, I would re-read the script and be instantly excited all over again. I think we’ve created something remarkable, and I am proud to present to you this engaging, entertaining, enjoyable bundle of energy that is the cast and crew of Better Man.

I’d personally like to thank Felicity (for her unflagging cheerfulness), Larry and Dan (founts of inspiration), Kyle (fight choreographer extraordinaire), the entire cast (who entirely rock) and crew (who rock in black), and of course the writer/producer/actor Alex himself, whom I always found to be an intelligent and receptive collaborator and a highly focused individual. I’d also like to thank my long-suffering wife, Jacki, for putting up with my extended evening and weekend absences. And one more thing: it was an extra thrill for me to be involved in this production, because if we’re going to get serious about creating more “ethnic” roles in this country, this is exactly the sort of script that should be encouraged. OK, I’m off my soapbox now.

Enjoy the show!
Adam Gelin