Bad Habit Productions to Open 10th Season with A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE

BAD HABIT PRODUCTIONS, INC. (BHP) is pleased to commence its anniversary Season 10: No Life Aside from Art, with the witty, heartwarming musical A Man of No Importance, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty, and book by Terrence McNally, directed by Boston area director Daniel Morris, with musical direction by Meghan MacFadden. A Man of No Importance will be presented on the Wimberly Stage at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts in the South End August 6-28, 2016.

Winner of the 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, A Man of No Importance is the tender story of family, friendship and acceptance that teaches to "love who you love." The musical follows Alfie Byrne, (portrayed by Nick Magierowski-Howe) a bus driver in 1964 Dublin, whose heart holds secrets he can't share with anyone. When he attempts to put on an amateur production of Wilde's Salome in the local church hall, he confronts the forces of bigotry and shame of a 'forbidden' love. In this moving play within a play, Alfie and his acting troupe discover that the power of theater will change their lives. A Man of No Importance is a rare gem of a musical, combining the depth and drama of a play with the lyricism and comedy of a musical. It is a tender and beautifully woven tale of love, friendship and coming to terms with who we are that inspires.

Nick Magierowski-Howe (Alfie Byrne) returns to BHP after performances in family shows Oh Ship, Aboard the Ship! and Shaping the World, as well as performances in BHP's On Tap series. Mary O'Donnell, who holds a BF.A. in Musical Theater from the Boston Conservatory will make her BHP debut as Lily Byrne. Cast also includes Dani Berkowitz (Adele Rice), Catherine Lee Christie (Mrs. Curtain), Kevin Fennessy (Carney/Oscar Wilde), Ian Flynn (Rasher Flynn/Carson), Kevin Hanley (Father Kenny/Brenton Beret), Gillian Mackay-Smith (Mrs. Patrick), Kim Onah (Miss Crowe), Nick Osborne (Ernie Lally), Dan Prior (Robbie Fay), Nicole Vander Laan (Mrs. Grace/Kitty), and Arthur Waldstein (Baldy O'Shea).

Daniel Morris (director) is the co-founder and Producing Artistic Director of Bad Habit Productions. Originally from Memphis, TN, Morris works as the BU Theatre House Manager at the Huntington Theatre Company. Morris was honored at the 2012 Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards as Best Director of a Play for BHP's Arcadia. He has previously directed The Dining Room, Barefoot in the Park, The Laramie Project, All the Timing, Quills, Arcadia, And Neither Have I Wings to Fly, Rooms: A Rock Romance, Urinetown, Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, and Virginia Woolf's Orlando, as well as adapted and directed BHP's productions of An Ideal Husband, Much Ado with a Twist, Paint Me A Picture, Diamond in the Sky, If You Dream, and Shaping the World.