"A Man of No Importance" Rothstein Play in Review

Your character's reputation can make or break you. It's as absolute as death or taxes. Through out history religious or political dogma only accepts you if you conform to the establishment. Belonging to the Catholic Church and coming out of the closet proposes a tremendous ostracism by dogmatic thinkers. Imagine what it would be like in pre-Vatican Dublin 1964. Take a man who is a bus conductor directing Oscar Wilde plays in his church basement. Set him up to reveal his male sexual preference and you can bet he'll be run out of town and any future employment.

Theater Latté Da's Midwestern premiere of author Terrence McNally, composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahren's A Man of No Importance addresses homophobia in the context of a musical set in pre-Vatican Dublin 1964. The play is directed by SJA parishioner Peter Rothstein and was briefly featured in his Sunday homily of 3/13/04. Alfie Byrne (Tod Peterson) lives with his spinster sister Lily (Vera Mariner) who obsessively frets in the song "The Burden of Life" that her brother won't be married because of his eccentrically bookish behavior. He spends his evenings directing Oscar Wilde plays with an oddball community of misfits reminiscent of a 1960s version of Waiting for Guffman. These amateurs, the St. Imelda Players, usually perform Wilde's comedies until Alfie decides to stage Salomé. This impassioned director believes Wilde's reworking of this biblical story is a modern masterpiece of art that should be seen by everyone despite his naive actors' comically melodramatic efforts at censoring the plays seductive overtones.

By day, Alfie's employed as a bus conductor, who wiles away time by reciting Wilde's poetry to his passengers. A closeted homosexual, he also harbors unrequited love for his straight bus driver Robbie (Dieter Bierbauer). Alfie's inspiring commitment to art ignites passion from his players but, like his sister, falls upon deaf ears to the rest of his stoic church and community. And once the church gets word of Alfie's controversial play selection, they promptly shut it down.

Peterson is a marvel as Alfie. In "Man in the Mirror," his own self loathing observation breaks the heart while "Love Who You Love" skillfully mines sexual yearning and painful resignation. In "The Cuddles Mary Gave," Baldy (Walter Weaver), an actor in Alfie's theater sings a solo about comforted loss but it's Peterson's face—he just listens—that keenly resonates a sea of emotional feelings. Mariner takes on Lily with feisty abandonment. Her harpy protective sister portrayal with perfect Irish brogue is a delight. She shares the duet "Books" with her cohort Carney (perfectly cast George Muellner) that's a master study of comic acting. Muellner's performance runs the gamut from hammy actor wannabe who swings sausages around his neck to a hypocritically jealous villain.

Bierbauer, all handsome swagger, impressively croons "The Streets of Dublin" with bigger than life gusto. He plays Robbie as a lover of adventurous life who has no time for the repressed trappings of religious dogmatic conventions. Zoe Pappas plays country waif Adele with superb pragmatic acuity. She harbors an out of wedlock pregnancy that makes her an outcast with the Church. She and Peterson face ostracism while painfully discovering a universal truth—you must "Love Who You Love."

Director Peter Rothstein, with exceptional awareness to fluid pacing and emotional nuance, skillfully taps authentic performances from a first rate cast of actor-singers. Conductor pianist Denise Prosek leads a terrific combo of musicians—violin, flute, penny whistle and keyboard—who create authentic Irish atmosphere with a fantastic ear for balance that never overwhelms the singers or their varied choral arrangements. A tall order indeed in a small theater setting. Katherine Kohl's costumes reflect 1960s Irish sensibility and theatrical whimsy with deft distinction. Michael Hoover's skeletal set works like synergy with Rothstein's inventive staging: actors cleverly shift body positions to indicate new environments while seamlessly bustling props.

Michael Reinbold, a continuing web reporter, freelances as a writer and banquet caterer. A passionate believer in SJA's mission of social justice and collaborative ministry, Michael is an SJA Choir member, mass reader, Team Oz AIDS rider and Grace House volunteer cook. With an extensive background in theater, photography and fundraising, he relishes all aspects of the arts, staying fit and inspiring and working with people.

The book, score and lyrics are of a distinctly earthy Irish flavoring— direct, emotional with urgent purpose. Oscar Wilde's impeccable wit cuts any saccharine overtones with lines like "The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it." The beauty of this timely script reveals the fall of a man by a judgmental society. His survival means his community must embrace the truth of Alfie's behavior. One person can't do it alone. In the prophetic words of Karen Kaiser Clark: "Life is change. Growth is optional."

Performances: Runs: March 20 - April 17 Thursdays - Saturdays: 8 PM; Sundays: 2 PM Special $10 performance: Monday, April 7 at 7:30 PM Performances are located at: The Loring Playhouse 1633 Hennepin Avenue Minneapolis, Minnesota 612-343-3390 or ticketworks.com Tickets: $10 - $25

Rick Spaulding is a photographer specializing in digital photography for the theater and works for National Camera Exchange. He is also an antique dealer and eBay afficianado who enjoys collecting marbles but his true joys in life are his two boys and his beautiful wife, Tinia.