The Bent, which bills itself as the valley’s only LGBTQ+ theater company, has made a wise choice with A Man of No Importance as its first musical production.
The same creative team that struck gold with Ragtime (playwright Terrence McNally, composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens) developed this tale of Alfie Byrne, a 1960s Dublin, Ireland, bus driver; it’s an adaptation of the 1994 movie starring Albert Finney. While the show, which opened in 2002, did not match the huge success of “Ragtime,” it’s a warm, charming tale with a few memorable characters and a couple of stand-out musical numbers.
Alfie Byrne (Jason Mannino) loves Oscar Wilde and directs plays for Saint Imelda’s Players, a local theater group. Embarrassed by the lukewarm response to his production of The Importance of Being Earnest, Alfie opts to follow that with Salome, Wilde’s one-act tragedy depicting the attempted seduction of John the Baptist and Salome’s dance of the seven veils. Considered salacious and blasphemous, the play was banned in Britain until 1931—and Alfie’s actors perform in the basement of the neighborhood Catholic church.
When Adele Rice (Linda Ceniceros Gonzalez) arrives in town and boards his bus one day, Alfie decides she’d be the perfect Salome. After some arm-twisting, she agrees to take on the role.
Alfie‘s spinster sister, Lily (Sonia Reavis), hopes a romance will bloom between her brother and Miss Rice. Lily and Alfie have been living together for years—because she refused to marry until her brother ties the knot. She’s fed up with the situation, anxious to pursue her lust for the local butcher, Mr. Carney (Jeffrey Scott Adair).
What she doesn’t know—nor does anyone else in town, apparently—is that Alfie is gay. He has a crush on Robbie Fay (Kellen Green), a fellow bus driver for whom he’s developing “the love that dare not speak its name.”
It would not be fair to give more of the plot away. To discover how all these complicated romances turn out, and whether Alfie’s Salome ever makes it to the stage, you need to go see this show for yourself.
Steve Rosenbaum, The Bent’s artistic director, ably directs this production, and has assembled a terrific cast. Smoothly moving 13 actors around a small stage is no easy feat, and Rosenbaum aces it. This is an ensemble piece, but each character has moments to shine, and every actor rises to the occasion.
In the key role of Alfie Byrne, Mannino is terrific. He embodies the character’s lovable sad-sack persona. Spouting Oscar Wilde quotes and wrestling with his sexuality, Alfie’s only escape is his little amateur theater troupe. Mannino manages to evoke empathy rather than pity from the audience—a key distinction.
Valley favorite Reavis is a stand-out as Alfie’s long-suffering sister, Lily. It’s clear that she loves her brother, but at times, she wants to wring his neck. Reavis’ comic timing is superb, and she has great vocal pipes.
As out-of-towner Miss Rice, Ceniceros Gonzalez gives a lovely performance. Zoftig and possessing a pretty singing voice, Gonzalez’ Miss Rice is shy and tentative, but comes across as worldly wise beyond her years.
Adair commands the stage as both Mr. Carney and Oscar Wilde.
Other notable performances include L.T. Cousineau as the priest, Rebecca McWilliams as Mrs. Grace, and Nathan Wilson as Baldy. Heather Joy, Kelly McDaniel, Koby Queenen, Marcello Tulipano and Alexana Thomas are all a joy to watch onstage, sometimes in multiple roles. There is not a weak link in this cast.
There are some fine singing voices on this stage, and the group numbers are superb. The dancing is quite good as well—kudos to choreographers Tulipano and Wilson.
Musical director Robert Ollis deserves special mention. The music is crucial in this show, and Ollis does a fabulous job. The excellent band—Ollis on keyboard, Lee Wolfe on violin, and Linny Smith on reeds—is situated on a small platform upstage, visible throughout the show. At times, some of the actors also play instruments onstage.
Musical highlights include the group number “Going Up,” Alfie’s “Love Who You Love” and “The Cuddles Mary Gave” (sung beautifully by Nathan Wilson as Baldy). The frenetic flashing lights during the poignant “Love Who You Love” were very distracting and seemed oddly out of place; otherwise, the lights and sound worked well.
Though A Man of No Importance is set in the 1960s, many of its themes are timeless: acceptance of the self and others; the healing nature of the arts; and the power of community, friendship and love—in all its forms.
A Man of No Importance is The Bent’s first foray into the world of musicals. It should definitely not be its last.
The Bent’s production of A Man of No Importance will be performed at 7 p.m., Thursday through Saturday; and 2 p.m., Sunday, through Sunday, May 24, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Road, in Palm Springs. Tickets are $42, and the running time is 2 1/2 hours, with a 15-minute intermission. For tickets or more information, visit thebent.org.
