Los Angeles Times
- Highly Recommended
"..."A Man of No Importance" is a love letter to the stage, yet another reason McNally was the ideal man for the job. This modest musical, which would no doubt wilt under the glare of Broadway, is at its most touching when chronicling the ways art lifts the spirits of everyday people who are blessed with no spectacular gifts yet nevertheless possess the inner lives of theatrical giants."
Stage and Cinema
- Highly Recommended
"...Terrence McNally's book, adapted from Barry Devlin's original screenplay, is quietly extraordinary. One of the most versatile and humane voices in late 20th-century American theatre, McNally brought to this adaptation the same empathy and structural intelligence that shaped works like Ragtime and Master Class."
Stage Scene LA
- Highly Recommended
"...Kasey Mahaffy delivers an exhilarating, emotion-packed, career-redefining performance as Dublin bus conductor Alfie Byrne in A Noise Within's stirring revival of Terrence McNally, Lynn Aherns, and Stephen Flaherty's 2002 off-Broadway musical A Man Of No Importance."
LA Theatrix
- Highly Recommended
"...It's all so beautifully staged by A Noise Within, seemingly with an Irish twinkle in its eye, especially Mahaffy's sublime performance and the cast's enthusiastic singing, that your spirit will be uplifted despite yourself. "A Man of No Importance" is just the kind of must-see theatre we need right now."
Hollywood Progressive
- Highly Recommended
"...In the two-act comedy drama A Man of No Importance, Kasey Mahaffy portrays the title character, Alfie Byrne, a bus conductor by day who is also the artistic director of an amateur theater troupe by night in Dublin, circa 1964. Mahaffy deftly conveys Alfie's sense of whimsy and anguish, as he is a closeted gay man - most of all, the aptly named "Byrne" doesn't even seem to be out of the closet to himself in Act I."
Showmag
- Highly Recommended
"...The entire ensemble is terrific in their roles. They create full-bodied characters who are hilarious in their rehearsal antics and convincing in their genuine fondness for Alfie. Music Director Rod Bagheri makes his five-piece band a part of the ensemble. The music rises and falls with the necessity of the moment. There is no musical grandstanding, just storytelling. Francois-Pierre Couture's Scenic Design offers just enough to place us, helped enormously by Ken Booth's perceptive and responsive lighting. Angela Balogh Calin's costumes suit the characters and the period without calling attention to either."
Stage Raw
- Recommended
"...In dark cape, wide-rimmed homburg hat, and brandishing a walking stick, Oscar Wilde (David Nevell) haunts both the stage and the imagination of Alfie Byrne (Kasey Mahaffy), a city of Dublin bus conductor and the protagonist in A Man of No Importance, the current production at A Noise Within. A 2022 musical based on the 1994 film starring Albert Finney and Rufus Sewell, the show features a book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens."
Its Not About Me
- Highly Recommended
"...Actually, everything is good about A Noise Within! The actual theatre configuration makes all seats good ones, there's plenty of space in all areas to move and mingle, and the free parking is a bonus. Plus I suggest getting to that area early because the budget-friendly shopping center across the street just may be calling your name, as it always does mine."
Larchmont Buzz
- Highly Recommended
"...With an excellent cast of thirteen, make no mistake, this is Kasey Mahaffy's show. He soars vocally, emotionally and in all ways that make a musical theater star. No one need look any further than his singing in the tender, "Love Who You Love." Juliana Sloan's portrayal of Lily is also compelling and first-rate, I believe better than Faith Prince who originated the role at Lincoln Center. Ed F. Martin, whose comical song, "The Cuddles Mary Gave," is delightful in his stage-manager role of Baldy. (Is it just me or are all bald men nice guys?)"
Broadway World
- Recommended
"...There are some rough seas ahead – for a few members of the company and certainly for Alife - and some not so nice people, but Rodriguez-Elliott’s production largely embraces the gentleness, the kindness and – sure - the hopeful souls of its everyday folks and their endeavor. At the heart of all this warmth is Mahaffy, shrewdly and without pandering, playing a man who will be just fine."
