By Mikaela STONE

A Noise Within Theater unveiled the final show for public audiences of its 2024-25 “True Grit” season: “A Man of No Importance.” With its title a nod to the play “The Importance of Being Earnest,” the musical “A Man of No Importance” serves as a love letter to theatre and Irish culture, most notably the timeless works of Oscar Wilde. 

The story follows Dubliner Alfie Byrne, played by Kasey Mahaffy, a bus conductor whose worries about whether he has accomplished enough in life are suddenly interrupted by the girl of his dreams. No, not his future wife (in spite of the prayers of Byrne’s housemate sister) but the perfect girl to play Princess Salome in his amateur theatre group’s production of Oscar Wilde’s banned play “Salome.” Byrne, who sees Oscar Wilde as everything he wishes he could be, considers “Salome” Wilde’s magnum opus. The difficulty is that the church he attends considers Wilde’s depiction lewd of the last days of John the Baptist and his chosen Salome, Adele Rice, cannot see herself as a princess.

With the first scene set after the closing of “Salome,” “A Man of No Importance” opens with a whimper and builds to a roar; to entice the audience to wade deeper with Byrne, Mahaffy intrigues the audience with an achingly bittersweet recitation of lines from the doomed “Salome.” Alfie Byrne is the beating heart of “A Man of No Importance” – it takes a special actor to handle the breadth of humor, heartbreak and sheer love that the character exudes. Mahaffy proved himself more than up to the task with an earnest performance that did Oscar Wilde proud. 

Adele Rice (played by Crescenta Valley High School alumna Analisa Idalia) has just moved to Dublin from rural Roscommon in Ireland. Struggling against the weight of others’ expectations, Rice finds herself understanding Byrne – and Salome – more than she expected. Idalia similarly connected with the show as “one of most true to life pieces I’ve ever been a part of.” 

“The closest genre to real life is dramedy,” she said. “I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been exposed to it before.” 

Similar to Rice, before she was cast Idalia struggled to get out of her head. Walking out of callbacks, she had told herself, “Well, some things just aren’t meant to be.” With a beautiful voice and a talent that made acting look easy, she both tugged at and warmed the hearts of the audience. 

Idalia is thankful for the amount of trust director Julia Rodriguez-Elliot placed in her by casting her. 

“There is an inherent amount of trust to be cast to bring someone’s vision to life,” she said. 

This is her second show at a regional theater but first as a main cast member. Before being cast, Idalia had not previously practiced an Irish accent, much less a regional Roscommon dialect. She enjoyed building her accent from the ground up alongside her castmates, who were directed to speak in dialect while in rehearsals regardless of whether they were on stage. Her fondest compliment came from fellow actor Neill Fleming, who plays Father Kenny and Carson. As a Dublin native, that he liked her accent “means everything” said Idalia. She hopes to work with A Noise Within again as she found the cast and crew to be “so supportive, so encouraging and such wonderful artists.” 

Idalia’s past productions include understudying for South Coast Repertory Theater’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors” and starring in Cal State Northridge’s production of “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” Idalia felt playing Elle Woods gave her the confidence to be unapologetic. A real life Elle Woods, Idalia was “always really girly, really high energy and really excitable – and a lot of people equate that to a lack of intelligence.” 

Idalia hopes people will continue to enjoy “A Man of No Importance.” She recognized that the show’s “fundamental themes with identity and community and societal pressure” speak to the internal struggles of many, and believes it is important to learn from the experiences of others, no matter how different. 

For audiences who, like Oscar Wilde, have “the simplest of tastes … only satisfied by the best,” A Noise Within’s “A Man of No Importance” is sure to satisfy. 

“A Man of No Importance” continues at A Noise Within through June 1. The theatre is located at 3352 E. Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena.