Irish musical combines campus, community
The Cornell College Theatre Department will present the award-winning musical comedy “A Man of No Importance” Feb. 19-27 in Kimmel Theatre. Directed by Jim Van Valen with musical direction by Julia Andrews West, the production celebrates the power of theatre and the love of community by highlighting community members and Cornell alumni.
Joe Jennison, marketing director of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group, brings to life the character of Alfie Byrne, a Dublin bus conductor whose heart holds secrets he can’t share with anyone but his imagined confidante, Oscar Wilde. The quiet and unassuming Alfie attempts to direct an amateur production of Wilde’s “Salome” in the local church hall and is confronted by the forces of bigotry, loneliness, and shame over a love “that dare not speak its name.”
Other cast members are Cornell students Cora Lassen ’19 Thomas Schulte ’19, Rachel Foster ’16, Anna Genrich ’18, Matthew Hamma ’16, and Lisbon High School senior James Cannon. Scenic design is by Scott Olinger and Kristen Geisler and projections design is by Geisler. Costume design is by Jenny Nutting Kelchen. The production is stage managed by Monica Brown ’11. The orchestra includes West and Fiona Flynn ’16, Kalyn Marquez ’17, and Cynthia Valenzuela ’18.
Set in 1964 and developed from the 1994 film by the same title, the musical enjoyed a 2002 revival at the Lincoln Center and went on to win the 2003 Outer Critics Circle award. “A Man of No Importance” features the same team that produced “Once on this Island,” “Seussical,” and “Ragtime”—writer Terrence McNally, composer Stephen Flaherty, and lyricist Lynn Ahrens.
“A Man of No Importance” runs Feb. 19, 20, 26, and 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb.21 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students/youth, and free for Cornell faculty, staff, and students with ID. Tickets can be reserved by calling (319) 895-4293 or emailing boxoffice@cornellcollege.edu.
Kimmel Theatre is located in Youngker Hall and is accessible through the front or rear doors. Parking is available in the lot behind and to the south of the theater at the corner of College Boulevard and Summit Avenue.
