Mare Winningham Joins A Man of No Importance at Classic Stage

Additional casting has been announced for the upcoming Classic Stage Company production of A Man of No Importance, directed by John Doyle.

Joining the cast will be two-time Emmy winner and Tony nominee Mare Winningham (Girl From the North Country) as Lily Byrne and William Youmans (To Kill A Mockingbird) as Baldy O’Shea. Previously announced company members include four-time Emmy winner
Jim Parsons as Alfie Byrne, Alma Cuervo as Miss Oona Crowe, Kara Mikula as Mrs. Curtain, Da’Von T. Moody as Breton Beret, Tony nominee Mary Beth Peil as Mrs. Grace,
Thom Sesma as Mr. Carney, Tony nominee A.J. Shively as Robbie Fay, Nathaniel Stampley as Father Kenny, Jessica Tyler Wright as Mrs. Patrick, and Joel Waggoner as Ernie Lally. Final casting will be announced soon.

The creative team will include John Doyle (scenic design), Ann Hould Ward (costume design), Adam Honoré (lighting design), and Sun Hee Kil (sound design). Bruce Coughlin provides orchestrations, with music direction by Caleb Hoyer.

A Man of No Importance tells the story of an amateur theater group in 1960s Dublin and their leader, bus driver Alfie Byrne (Parsons). Determined to stage a production of Oscar Wilde’s Salome despite the objections of local church authorities, Alfie confronts the forces of bigotry and shame over a love “that dare not speak its name.” This evocative and award-winning musical illustrates the redemptive power of theater, love, and friendship, all for a man of seemingly no importance.

The musical features a book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens — the award-winning creative team behind Ragtime and Anastasia. It had its off-Broadway debut at Lincoln Center in 2002, earning the 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical.

Performances are set to run from October 11-December 4, with an official October 30 opening.