“A tiny miracle” – The Atlantic Journal
“This ‘man’ should be of major importance to musical theatre mavens and sensitive souls” – The L.A. Times
“The best traditional musical of the season” – Newsday
“Beautifully, pristinely crafted score” – Time Out New York

What happens when our deepest secrets are finally revealed? Dublin bus conductor Alfie Byrne is content reading Oscar Wilde poetry to his passengers and staging plays in his local church. But when forced to confront a lifelong secret, Alfie must learn to face his true nature and finally take a stand in the world. With a powerful story and a stunning score by the team who brought Ragtime to the musical stage, A Man of No Importance celebrates the genius of Oscar Wilde, the boisterous streets of Dublin , and the bumps along the road to self-discovery.



TERRENCE McNALLY (playwright) is currently represented on Broadway as the book writer for the musical The Full Monty. He won his fourth Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Ragtime (music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens). McNally won the Tony in 1996 for his play Master Class, in which Zoe Caldwell created the role of Maria Callas; the 1995 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Play as well as the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best American Play for Love! Valour! Compassion!; and the 1993 Tony for his book of the musical Kiss of the Spider Woman (music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb). His other plays include Corpus Christi; A Perfect Ganesh; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; The Lisbon Traviata; and It's Only a Play, all of which began at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Earlier stage works include Bad Habits, The Ritz, Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone?, And Things That Go Bump in the Night, Next and the book for the musical The Rink (music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb). For the Central Park opera trilogy presented at the New York City Opera in the fall of 1999 he wrote the libretto for The Food of Love, with music by Robert Beaser. In October, the San Francisco Opera presented Dead Man Walking with McNally's libretto and music by Jake Heggie. He recently wrote the book for The Visit with score by Kander and Ebb. McNally has written a number of TV scripts, including "Andre's Mother" for which he won an Emmy Award. He has received two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, a Lucille Lortel Award and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has been a member of the Dramatists Guild since 1970.

STEPHEN FLAHERTY (composer). Broadway: "Ragtime" (Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards, two Grammy nominations, Olivier nomination), "Seussical" (Drama Desk and Grammy nominations), "Once on This Island" (Tony nomination; Olivier Award for Best Musical, London), "Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life" (original songs) and "Proposals" (incidental music). Lincoln Center Theatre: "Dessa Rose" (Drama Desk and Outer Critics nominations), "A Man Of No Importance" (Outer Critics Circle award for Best Musical), "My Favorite Year." Off-Broadway and Regional: "Lucky Stiff "and "Loving Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein." Film includes: "Anastasia" (two Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations). Concert works include "With Voices Raised" and "Ragtime Symphonic Suite." "The Ahrens and Flaherty Songbook," a print anothology of Mr. Flaherty's theater and film songs with longtime collaborator Lynn Ahrens, is available through Warner Brothers Publications. Member: Dramatists' Guild Council, ASCAP and Drama Dept. Upcoming this season: "The Glorious Ones," a new musical.

LYNN AHRENS (lyricist). Theatre: RAGTIME (Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Grammy nominations, National Broadway Award, Best Musical); ONCE ON THIS ISLAND (Olivier Award, Best Musical, Tony nominations for Best Book and Best Score); A CHRISTMAS CAROL (ten years at Madison Square Garden); SEUSSICAL (Grammy nomination, most performed stock and amateur show in America); CHITA RIVERA: A DANCER'S LIFE (original material); LUCKY STIFF (Helen Hayes Award, Best Musical, Richard Rodgers Award). Lincoln Center Theatre: MY FAVORITE YEAR; A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE (2003 Outer Critics Circle Awards, Best Musical, Best Lyrics, Drama Desk nomination); DESSA ROSE (Outer Critics Circle Nomination, 2003 Audelco Award, Best Musical); Film: ANASTASIA (Twentieth Century Fox, two Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations). CAMP (Original songs, IFC Films). Television: 2004 teleplay adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Hallmark Entertainment Special/NBC, starring Kelsey Grammer); SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK; For ABC-TV, created and produced H.E.L.P. (Emmy Award); THE DOUGH NUTS; WILLIE SURVIVE; DEAR ALEX AND ANNIE; THE UNFORGIVABLE SECRET (four Emmy nominations); Concert: WITH VOICES RAISED (Boston Pops). Upcoming, "THE GLORIOUS ONES", at Pittsburgh Public Theater, Spring '07.Dramatist Guild of America, Council; Co-chair, Dramatists Guild Fellows Program; ASCAP; Member, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; BOD, Young Playwrights, Inc. Syracuse University, Newhouse School of Journalism (Arents Pioneer Award)

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