The story in A Man of No Importance is small enough to fit one melancholy man, but it's told in big songs by a big cast. We the People Theatre's production of the 2002 musical overflows with characters who turn a potentially mawkish tale into a stirring one, flavored with humor and human fl aws, all propelled by spirited, wistful music. Alfie Byrne has an unimportant job as a bus conductor, an unimportant dream as the director of an amateur theatrical group and an unimportant life as an unmarried man living with his sister. Yet all these circumstances are wonderfully important because they provide connections with other people — Alfie is part of a tapestry that needs every stitch, as this musical is gloriously good at proving. But Alfie searches for invisibility because he can't acknowledge his attraction to men. It's 1964 in Dublin, and the moral bedrock is Catholicism and pub displays of masculinity. Alfie has plays and poetry to sustain him — he's drawn to directing Oscar Wilde for a good deal more than the playwright's wit, but he can't admit the implications, even to himself. The show's opening number presents Alfie's typical day, and the staging, music and lyrics cleverly demonstrate that even a humdrum life is filled with the hidden miracle of social ties. Alfie doesn't see how important he is to those around him, but the umbrellas swirling on a rainy day keep parting to reveal him, and all the people boarding his bus are cheered by his greeting. Director Eric Love puts this solitary figure at the center of all the action, subtly hinting how far outward Alfie actually reaches. Alfie's quiet problems transform into soaring music, and the show moves with delightful velocity. Stephen Flaherty's loping melodies make you yearn to know what happens next. Lyricist Lynn Ahrens is a storytelling powerhouse, building every song as a discovery the singer makes along the way. With clever rhymes and surprises, she resists sentimental generality to land on individual perspective. The musical, with a book by Terrence McNally, is based on a 1994 film of the same name. If Alfie buries part of himself, he is surrounded by people who love everything he reveals. The St. Imelda Players are an amateur theater group that stages the shows Alfie directs in a local church. The endearing performers spring to life when they have a play to put… ...read more read less