Review: 'A Man of No Importance' Shines in SpeakEasy Revival

Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens are musical theater shapeshifters. In their work they have the uncanny ability to worm their way into their musicals in ways that find the essence of each's divergent subjects and styles. In "Once On This Island," they not only captured the sound of the Caribbean, but also the deeper themes of class and fate that are the subtexts to this charming folk tale. In the epic "Ragtime," it was the chaos of America in flux at the start of the 19th century when the titular musical style was born that informed their vast and very American-sounding score. And in "A Man of No Importance," they scaled things down to bring to life a tender story told in a style of a Gallic ballad musical.

Scale is also paramount to the success of the SpeakEasy Stage's current production of the musical, based on the 1985 film that starred Albert Finney in an adaptation by the late Terrence McNally. The company had given the musical its Boston premiere in 2003 under the direction of Paul Daigneault at the Plaza Theatre at the Boston Center of the Arts in what is remembered to be an admirable production. Some 22 years later Daigneault returns to the musical for his final directing gig as the company's Artistic Director with a sleek, intimate production at the Roberts Studio Theatre (also located in the BCA) that has become the company's home base since the Calderwood Pavilion was added to the Center in 2004. Daigneault eschews the space's proscenium and employs the three-quarter thrust stage (used so effectively in his production of "The Inheritance" three years ago), and the result is a superlative production that not only showcases a first-rate cast of local actors, (many of whom have long associations with the company) but also celebrates what the SpeakEasy has done so well over the years in shaping musicals to fit intimate spaces.

This time around, "A Man of No Importance" comes to Boston in an already streamlined, one-act version that premiered in New York in 2022 under the direction of John Doyle. Daigneault utilizes Doyle's trademark device of having actors double as musicians, which only enhances a sense of authenticity, making the show feel like a pub entertainment where the musical numbers rise spontaneously out of the story. The seamless musical direction is by Paul S. Katz, with orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin.

Set in Dublin in 1965, it tells the story of Alfie Byrne (Eddie Shields), a diminutive bus driver who comes to life when he regales the passengers on his bus routes with stories and poems. They are enchanted by Alfie, with many of them joining him in the St. Imelda's Players, the amateur theatrical group he runs at the local parish. Alfie, for reasons that soon become apparent, is in the thrall of Oscar Wilde, and hopes to follow up "The Importance of Being Earnest" with the far-more daring "Salome." Wilde has such a hold on Alfie that he has even nicknamed the hunky co-worker Robbie (Keith Robinson) he crushes on Bosie, the nickname the playwright gave his aristocratic boyfriend who was a key player in the scandal that led to his imprisonment. But unlike Wilde, Alfie can't embrace his homosexuality; instead he hides it away, allowing his older sister Lily (Aimee Doherty) with whom he lives to dream of dancing at his wedding. She has put aside her own hope of marrying the local butcher Carney (Sam Simahk) until Alfie is settled with a wife. Her hopes come alive when Alfie says he's met a young woman, a new passenger on the bus; but his interests are purely aesthetic: He wants her to play Salome.

That is Lily (an excellent Rebekah Rae Robles), who Alfie convinces to join the company of enthusiastic players who find joy in their amateur theatrics. But there's resentment as well from Carney, who drops out when he realizes his part is too small; and he takes revenge in a vicious way. But it also proves liberating for Alfie in the musical's final third, as he comes to terms with his outsider status. Alfie may not get his Bosie, but he gets something more affirming instead: a sense of self and a warm welcome from the community of actors he has helped build, which gives the musical the moving, dramatic heft it needs. Up to that point much of the show's enjoyment comes with showing how these amateurs derive so much pleasure and satisfaction from working with Alfie. These Dubliners are little more than thumbnail sketches in McNally's abbreviated libretto, but Daigneault and his actors make them come alive with humor and conviction.

Central to the production's success is Eddie Shield's halting portrayal of Alfie. He is reserved – not overly demonstrative as Albert Finney was in the film – and he seems to fade amongst the more colorful characters. But as the show progresses and he comes to terms with his inner saboteur, he becomes touchingly real, finding his voice in his penultimate song, "Welcome to the World." Aimee Doherty brings compassion to Lilly, who grows bitter as she sees her life slipping away because of the choices she made for her brother's sake. Lanky and ripped, Keith Robertson is a fine object of Alfie's affection, and gets to break out with the show's biggest ensemble number, "The Streets of Dublin," when he takes Alfie out on the town. His character, though, appears to get the short-shrift in the reworked book, which doesn't fully flesh him out. Again, the large cast is quite fine at their sharp characterizations with the standout being Billy Meleady, who appeared in the SpeakEasy's earlier version. Here he plays Baldy, a widower who sings "The Cuddles Mary Gave," a touching ode to his dead wife in what easily could be a treacly moment. Instead, like the production itself, it rises above the obvious emotional pull.

Jenna McFarland Lord's simple set – a large bookcase that contains elements integral to the story, such as a stain glass window and a portrait of Oscar Wilde – is handsome. And it is nicely augmented by lighting fixtures that sit above the audience, nicely evoking a vanished past. What has not vanished is the institutional homophobia that is central to Alfie's struggle to achieve self-esteem. That it is reflective of our current culture is one reason this charming musical remains relevant.

"A Man of No Importance" continues through March 22 at the Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. For more information, visit the SpeakEasy Stage website.