Life Ends Here (I Zoi Etho Telioni) Encapsulates The Bravery Of The Migrant Experience

Alex Lykos discovered the arts later in life but regardless has enchanted audiences with his artistic contributions in many theatrical and cinematic productions over the years.

He wrote the stage and film production Alex & Eve, the comedic feature Me & My Left Brain and documentary Disconnect Me, which received much accolade. Some of his successes on the stage include It’s A War, award-winning one-man show Jawbone and more recently the highly successful standup comedy Neanderthal, which played to full houses at the Sydney Comedy Festival.

His latest production Life Ends Here (I Zoi Etho Telioni) is a new Greek musical which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and also takes to centre stage in it.

“The show has been inspired by the loss of my father 2 years ago. He loved music and he loved to dance, so I thought this show could be a way to celebrate not only his life, but the thousands of Greeks (and other European’s) who migrated to Australia in the 50s and 60s,” explained Lykos.

Lykos plays the role of Nick, the son who is grieving the loss of his father as the funeral is being arranged. The memories spanning over three generations will remain in his heart forever.

This is an emotionally charged story with dramatic and comical elements, astutely performed by five actors on stage.

“The show is a mixture of straight theatre, music performed by a band on stage and dance. I’d say the show is evenly split between music and straight theatre. The songs are in Greek, but the dialogue is in English with some Greek sprinkled in,” enthused Lykos.

He didn’t want this story to be a heavy piece about the loss and grief of a loved one, but more aptly the celebration of a triumphant migrant story through theatre, dance and classic Laika songs.

“Greeks love their music, they love to dance, so to fuse the three together, seemed the best way to express and celebrate this successful migrant story. We had to have the best Greek musicians performing the songs on the stage. We are fortunate to have secured some of the best Greek musicians; John Zaharis, John Logothetis, Sam Christodoulides and Perry Tsepetzis.”

It’s been a long journey of eight months from conception to opening night and especially a very personal experience for Lykos.

“I have become consumed by this show. The last month or so, I have been working with the cast Lefteri Ganas, Sylvia Dritsakis, Tina Kokkalis and Peter Mangafas and it has been a delight. The script has evolved throughout rehearsals because the actors are bringing so much to their roles.”

Many parents of different ethnicities migrated to Australia to give their children better lives, so should this musical resonate with non-Greek audiences?

“It is a common narrative for so many migrants and I think, whilst a non-Greek audience may not know the songs performed in the show, they will certainly feel the sentiment of the songs and not feel so left out.

“We are trying to create a piece of work that encapsulates the bravery of the migrant experience, the challenges, the pain and the joy which comes from this generation who made so many sacrifices so their kids and grandkids can have better lives than they did.”

When asked what he hopes audiences would absorb from the show, Lykos was quick to respond.

“I hope the audience become fully engaged, laughing, crying, singing and hopefully cheering on the generation of migrants that contributed so much to the community. I hope the younger generation get a better understanding of the challenges their grandparents faced when migrating to Australia and therefore gain a better appreciation for what has come before them.”

The musical will be playing on the main stage at the Factory Theatre which holds 540 seats. The first 2 shows sold out soon after going on sale, so another 2 dates have been announced.

Lykos is thankful that his show which honours migrant parents who sacrificed so much for their children, seems to be resonating with the community.

“My father’s presence had been with me throughout the development of this show, and he will be there on opening night, hopefully looking down with pride.” concluded Lykos.

Life Ends Here (I Zoi Etho Telioni) is on April 3 & 4 at the Factory Theatre.