A Man of No Importance
Presented by Neglected Musicals in association with Hayes Theatre Co
Set in Dublin in 1964, this musical follows Alfie Byrne, a middle-aged bachelor leading a quiet life with his devoted spinster sister. By day he works as a bus conductor, but by night he transforms into an amateur theatre impresario, passionately devoted to staging the plays of his idol, Oscar Wilde.
Alfie is a modest, reserved man whose greatest joy comes from directing his small theatre group in the local church. But when he announces that their next production will be Wilde’s daring Salome—instead of their usual The Importance of Being Earnest—the church authorities balk at the “immodest dancing,” and Alfie’s carefully ordered world begins to unravel.
After years of hiding, Alfie is forced to confront who he truly is and embrace the life he’s been avoiding. As Wilde famously said, “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.”
First performed Off-Broadway in 2002, this production is part of Neglected Musicals, a theatre initiative dedicated to bringing rarely seen or never-before-staged musicals to Australian audiences. Shows are performed with scripts in hand, piano accompaniment, and only a day of rehearsal, celebrating the raw charm and discovery of overlooked works.
Neglected Musicals is a theatre initiative dedicated to presenting musical theatre that has never (or rarely) been seen in Australia. The musicals are presented with scripts in hand, and with piano accompaniment after only a day’s rehearsal.