Published: Monday, 25th January, 2010 5:00pm

Alfie reviewed

by Correspondent

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by Rose Harland

AS A card-carrying feminist, I was prepared not to like Alfie.

I had never heard Bill Naughton's original 1962 radio play, seen the stage production, watched Michael Caine make the role his own in the 1966 film, read Naughton's best-selling novel, or witnessed the seemingly superfluous Jude Law film remake.

In fact, based on the impression I'd formed of endless smug womanising and, "Ooh, matron!" humour, I was prepared to dislike it quite a lot.

So it was a pleasant surprise to be irresistibly drawn into director Adrian McDougall's version of the stage play at South Hill Park, and captivated by the character of Alfie, played with assurance by Edward Elks.

With minimal staging and a cast of only five - who played multiple parts and also the on-stage live band - the performance laid bare the man behind the cad, haunted by the failings of his parent-child relationships.

Lisa Howard and Gabrielle Meadows as the women in Alfie's life and Courtney Spence and Ben Harrison as various friends and rivals slipped seamlessly from part to part, accompanied by a mixture of rock and roll, love songs and a new score by McDougall's father Ian.

The Blackeyed Theatre production is now on national tour until April 3, see www.blackeyedtheatre.co.uk for nearby performances.