Terrence McNally musicalizes A Man of No Importance

Variety reports that openly gay playwright Terrence McNally has reteamed with his Ragtime collaborators--composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens--to create A Man of No Importance, a new musical based on the 1994 film that starred Albert Finney as a bus conductor who comes to understand his homosexuality through his love of the works of Oscar Wilde. Roger Rees will play the lead role in the show, which is set to premiere in October at Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi Newhouse off-Broadway space under out director Joe Mantello.

The magazine also notes that the show, which looks destined to transfer to Broadway, is one of two upcoming musicals with a gay lead character--The Boy From Oz, a biographical musical about singer Peter Allen, recently workshopped with Hugh Jackman in the lead. The book for Boy was written by Bent playwright Martin Sherman.