Alfie

I would like to say that sexist, arrogant and egotistical men such as ‘Alfie’ are a dying breed; however I think many still lurk beneath the surface of a thankfully progressive society. Set in the 1960s, man about town Alfie Elkins portrayed by Marc Clement is charismatic and carries with him a hedonistic outlook on life.

This is undoubtedly Bill Naughton’s most famous work. When you think of his leading man, Michael Caine springs to mind or for the younger folk perhaps Jude Law. Both movies fared well, with Caine’s portrayal most remembered.

The long script speaks to the audience and Clement’s rapport is established early. He is cheeky, playful and vain, but surprisingly likeable given his offensive manner. With much of the dialogue to deliver, he settles into his role with great aplomb.

With a cast of many, director Matt Byrne has done the best he could with characters that were very two-dimensional. Woman from all walks of life played second fiddle to the needs of Alfie and given that we are now in the 21^st century, much of the interaction would be cringe-worthy to the modern woman. Wonderful cameos were offered by Bronwyn Ruciak as Flo, Nicholas Stagg as Sharpey, John Matsen as Joe and Heather Riley as Lily. All captured the essence of their characters with poise and wonderful comic timing.

At times the scenes slowed to a stand-still and would have fared better with more attention to pace and purpose. Trimming of scenes would have helped and not made any difference to the plot. Slide projections worked well to establish varying locations and the music was at its toe-tapping best.

You can understand that this play, when written, would have been relevant to the swinging 60s lifestyle and political views and opinions of women, but in modern times the script is laboured and dated. But generally this production is entertaining enough if not taken too seriously.

Kerry Cooper