Review: ‘A Man of No Importance’

Julieta Cervantes

Artistic Director John Doyle finishes his six-year run at Classic Stage Company with A Man of No Importance, opening Sunday, October 30th. Based on the 1994 film of the same name starring Albert Finney, A Man of No Importance was adapted to the stage in 2002 by the late Terrence McNally accompanied by musical team Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. 

The musical takes place in 1960s Dublin amidst a climate of deep Catholicism and traditional morale. Alfie Byrne (Jim Parsons) is a bus conductor by day and director of St. Imelda’s Players by night. He uses plays and poems as an escape from his unforgiving reality and from the societal pressures to marry, many of which come from his older sister, Lily (Mare Winningham). Alfie is a closeted gay man who hallucinates passionate conversations with Oscar Wilde while avoiding acknowledgment of the lack of passion in own love life. What the siblings don’t recognize, still living together in their middle age, is their shared sense of loneliness, ironically both forming crushes they refuse to admit. 

Per usual, Doyle has recruited an ensemble of strong actors with thick resumes. Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons returns to the New York stage, leading the thirteen-person company as Alfie. I wouldn’t label Parsons’ voice as “strong,” but it fits the role of a tender soul coping with growing isolation. His voice is delicate, but lovely. It’s a nice contrast balancing out his dedicatedly bossy acting chops.

Mare Winningham, fresh off her Tony nominated performance in Girl from the North Country, is outstanding as Lily. Her acting here is just another testament to Winningham’s gift of combining warmth, humor, and maternity into a hurting character. 

Also worth nothing are the gorgeously voiced Shereen Ahmed as Adele Rice, a newbie to Alfie’s bus commute, and AJ Shively as the handsome Robbie Fay, a fellow bus driver. Alfie eventually recruits them for his production of Oscar Wilde’s Salome, slowly developing a bond with both as he discovers they each possess a secret of their own.

One moment that sticks is Parsons touching delivery of “Love Who You Love,” urging Adele to express unapologetic love regardless of whom the recipient may be. It’s heartwarming to know that this song was first presented on an American stage before any U.S. State had even legalized same-sex marriage. Parsons captures its power beautifully.

Doyle’s signature style is at play here. He strips back standard theatre conventions to reveal a bare-bones stage, a modestly decorated background (occasionally concealed by a large drape), and actors playing instruments. Without the distraction of spectacle, we’re allowed to fully absorb Flaherty and Ahrens haunting, often melancholic, orchestrations.

The staging works exceptionally well. It’s not fully immersive, but there’s a sensation of actually being inside the Irish church alongside these characters. They maintain eye contact with the audience, deliver lines and enter/exit from the seating area, and even use the tech booth in one scene. The traditionally two-act musical has been condensed into 1 hour and 45 minutes. For the most part, the time soars by.

Julieta Cervantes

This A Man of No Importance is an actor's musical. There are no standing ovation showstoppers or dazzling choreography. In fact, it’s quite a weird little show. But there is nonetheless some magic happening onstage. Doyle focuses more on the impact loneliness has on the psyche than he focuses on dramatic structure. The narrative feels fluid, shifting from scene to scene. Certain plot moments do appear a bit hazy and it’s difficult to differentiate between the numerous roles that some performers play. Perhaps taking a lesson from Come From Away’s storytelling, which similarly casts one actor as multiple roles in a fluctuating space, may have brought clarity.

A Man of No Importance offers a snapshot of a man’s life - a man with a heart too big to appeal to conservative society. Although we end with a glimmer of hope, there is still an unspoken understanding that the struggles endured by Alfie (as well as Lily, Adele, and Robbie) have not yet concluded.

In many ways, the show is a love letter to community theatre. A troupe of amateur actors sacrifice their evenings to produce less-than-desirable plays at a local church. When faced with criticism about his show being indecent, Alfie defends his artistic choices proudly declaring, “it’s art.” Despite efforts to cancel the production, the Players support Alfie’s vision - even after the brutal outing of his sexuality. There’s a clear sense of community at St. Imelda’s, a safe haven for the outcasts - something uniquely found within the dingy walls of a small town theatre.