About This Show
A Man of No Importance, an intimate backstage musical set in Dublin, Ireland, kicks off Civic Theatre of Allentown’s 2006-07 Mainstage season.
Civic Artistic Director William Sanders, who directs the show, was part of the team that created its 2002 New York premiere. The musical is about self-discovery and the magic of theatre, by the creative team from Ragtime: Stephen Flaherty (music), Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) and Terrence McNally (book).
A Man of No Importance tells the story of Alfie Byrne, a 1960s Dublin bus conductor who recites poetry to his passengers, and who, in his spare time, serves as the artistic director of a local community theatre, St. Imelda’s Players. With his dedicated group of amateur actors by his side, Alfie is determined to produce Oscar Wilde’s scandalous classic Salome, complete with the dance of the seven veils — a plan which attracts the ire of the Catholic Church and threatens more than Alfie’s production. In the midst of scandal, Alfie must grapple with issues of artistic censorship and his own identity, all the while fighting for what he believes in — and ultimately inspiring his circle of family and friends to see the magic that the theater has to offer.
