stage
A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE
A WILDE COMING OUT TALE
by lisa lipsey
I STUMBLED ACROSS IT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I HEARD THE MUSIC FIRST
AND THEN READ THE SCRIPT. I LOVE THAT IT IS A SHOW ABOUT LOVE, ACCEP-
TANCE, AND THE PATH TO SELF-DISCOVERY.”
What happens when you take the Tony Award-winning creative team behind
the hit musicalRagtime and give them the creative space to re-envision an LGBT-themed film? You getA Man of No Importance, with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty and book by Terrence McNally. The Rage Monthly caught up with Stage Director Manny Bejarano to chat
about the Coronado Playhouse’s production ofA Man of No Importance. “This show takes place in 1964 in Dublin, Ireland,” offered Bejarano. “The leading character is Alfie Byrne, he is a bus conductor with a poet’s heart. Each morning he dispenses tickets and Oscar Wilde’s poetry to his passengers and after work, amateur theatre is his passion. But, his heart holds secrets that he can’t share with anyone but his imagined confidante, Oscar Wilde. Eventually, both the truth and a few challenges surface. Fortunately, Alfie’s quiet philosophy, ‘you just have to love who you love’ wins out.” Bejarano jumped at the chance to direct this show, “I stumbled across it a
couple of years ago, I heard the music first and then read the script. I love that it is a show about love, acceptance, and the path to self-discovery. It is wonderful to see it all come together and be put up on the stage. What I love most is we have a fantastic group of storytellers, a great cast of actors.” While discussing Alfie’s, Bejarano shared his own coming out story, “I knew I
was gay very early and I have an identical twin brother who is also gay. We first came out to each other at a young age, and then we let our friends know. In college, we were open about it, we finally told our family at the age of 20 or 21. I feel fortunate, my other brothers and sisters, grandparents, all of them were very supportive and being gay has never been an issue.” “Alfie was raised very Catholic and we were also raised very religious in my
family, Jehovah’s Witness. My Mom is very devout, but it is amazing, she never let that dictate how she loves her children. She was open to us and to any of our friends—from a young age—I am very thankful to have had that growing up. I have some friends who have really struggled.” Bejarano cast Coronado Playhouse regular and frequent producer, Barron
Henzel in the role of Alfie. “I have been friends with Barron for years. He most often plays these light-hearted, goofy roles, this one has a lot more depth. It is a more serious character role, based more in truth. Alfie’s story is so beautiful and I have never seen Barron do a part like this with so much sincerity. It is neat to see him grow, take on such a big part and do it so well.” “To our LGBTQ family I would say, this is a great show I would love you to see.
It’s a tale of an everyday man coming to terms with sexuality. It really has a great message and we don’t get a lot of stories like this. Even though it takes place in the 1960s, it is relevant to today and today’s climate. Come experience it and watch these actors tell the story. The music is in the same style asRagtime, but it is also completely different, with a beautiful, haunting Irish sound to it.” If Bejarano could be cast for any part in the show, he opined, “I know it might
sound weird, but I would want to be cast as Alfie’s sister. That is such a great role and she has a great arc, from the top of the show to the end of the show. Jenny Gray Connard plays the sister, and she is killing it every night. She runs the O.B. Playhouse and we are so excited to have her come play with us.” When asked how we can keep plays like this one going and shed the light on
the importance of local theatre and culture, Bejarano said, “Go out and see local theatre, visit small theatres and community theatres. They do great work that people don’t know about!”
A Man of No Importance runs through Sunday, August 26 at the Coronado Playhouse. For tickets and more information, call 619.435.4856 or go to
coronadoplayhouse.com
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RAGE monthly | AUGUST 2018 RAGE monthly
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