A Man of No Importance NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
Production Covid-19 Safety ProtocolsMember Reviews (101)
See it if poignant portrait life gay man; celebrates tolerance/beauty of theater comnty vs stultifying church; rousing singing; fine ensemble
Don't see it if says little new about gay themes; cloying at times; Jim Parsons' understated lead perf robs work of emotion; no memorable tunes
See it if you like a show that draws you into a world you aren't familiar with.This show is beautifully done.Acting is superb.Staging is fun.
Don't see it if you only like light hearted musicals that don't have anything to say.This show is funny and touching and briliiant.
See it if you want to see an unpretentious musical with a touching book.
Don't see it if you don't like anything Irish. Read more
See it if well sung simple revival of a small show. Fans of Flaherty/Ahrens should see it.
Don't see it if want big flashy production numbers - this is simple story telling. Not the best score (though sung well) that does service the story.
See it if you're in the mood for a thoughtfully-done, if not simply-executed, short musical about artistic expression, human sin, and empathy.
Don't see it if expecting elaborate set design or shock-factor; expecting a larger-than-life Jim Parsons, who leads a skilled ensemble; picky about accents. Read more
See it if you're a fan of John Doyle's intimate, personal productions. I am and I loved being close to the actors & enjoyed the production.
Don't see it if you need big. The smallish cast does a wonderful job -- acting and singing and dancing to the great Ahrens & Flaherty score.
See it if Smart and engaging. Great cast.
Don't see it if Low production value.
See it if you like small musicals
Don't see it if you need a musical to be a mega production.
Critic Reviews (16)
"It’s fitting that as he [Doyle] steps down after six years as Classic Stage’s artistic director, he does so with such a rich example of what he brings to the table — or, rather, takes away from it. I hope he keeps doing so. To adapt a great Sondheim lyric: Give us less to see."
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"The satisfactions of this revival of 'A Man of No Importance' are all in that smaller-scale fiddling: both literally, in the sense of a bit of violin-playing onstage, and in a cast of supporting performances all crafted with delicacy."
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" 'A Man of No Importance perfectly captures the feel of scrappy community theatre in a church basement...This revival has songs and performances that will rouse the soul, and that's of the utmost importance."
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"While the intermission-less production is more than worthy of a Broadway transfer, I can’t help but feel that a great deal of its strength comes from its expert use of its intimate space...It also contains perhaps the best sound quality and control I have ever heard for a live musical in a small theater."
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" 'A Man of No Importance' is a heartfelt love letter to community theater and an intimate look at the private desperation of one man."
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By trimming the show by forty-five minutes (including jettisoning the intermission), and working more by implication than speechmaking, Doyle has come up with version that is much lighter on its feet, more suffused with genuine feeling. He clarifies the intentions of McNally's book, which places the lead character's lonely dilemma inside a larger network of frustrated yearnings, covert adulteries, and unwanted pregnancies, all fostered by the stifling Irish-Catholic morality of the era..
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"I found myself tearing up at the end...Indeed, it's a story worth telling, but what moved me was the reminder that even at a time when we are socially and politically more disconnected than ever, the theatre can provide a forgiving, comforting, and accepting space. And you don't even have to play a musical instrument to be a part of it."
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"The Flaherty-Ahrens-McNally problem is a revival of 'A Man of No Importance'...an item so highly entertaining that its being turned into a dullish tuner is a bafflement."
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