Paul Daigneault bids goodbye to SpeakEasy Stage in a manner befitting his tenure with the company he founded in 1992 and nurtured for 33 years. His final show, “A Man of No Importance,” running February 21–March 22, is one of Daigneault’s favorites and he has surrounded himself with an all-star cast of SpeakEasy veterans and colleagues, longtime friends and a few of his students.
Daigneault’s final show also honors the late writer Terrence McNally whose works, including ”A Man of No Importance,” “Some Men,” “Love! Valor Compassion!” and other LGBTQ-themed plays, were staged at SpeakEasy over the years.
Daigneault is no stranger to “A Man of No Importance,” having directed the show during SpeakEasy’s 2003 season. This time, however, it’s the New England premiere of a fresh, streamlined version of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’ musical about bus conductor Alfie Byrne in 1960s Dublin as he prepares to mount a production of Oscar Wilde’s “Salome” with his local theater troupe.
The show bears all the hallmarks of many Daigneault productions, reflecting his passion for tales of underdogs and empowerment such as his acclaimed 2023 production of “The Band’s Visit.” He’s drawn to stories about “communities coming together to make art and how art heals and brings joy to people. That’s what I hope much of what my time at SpeakEasy has been,” he says.
There’s also a personal connection to the themes in “A Man of No Importance,” which began as a 1994 film starring Albert Finney, that struck an emotional chord with Daigneault. “I grew up Catholic. There is the idea of celebrating my identity as a gay man and squaring that with the shame that the Catholic Church brings to it,” he says.
“There are so many reasons why Alfie has not come out: shame and the fear of not being accepted by the community and what happens when you do take that risk and start living as your authentic self,” explains Daigneault. “Alfie says several times in the show, ‘Hello, dear friends’ — he’s a bus conductor, and he is all about creating art with his friends.”
To that end, Daigneault cast “A Man of No Importance” with some of SpeakEasy’s best-known actors that he’s forged friendships with through the years. “I wanted to work with artists I just love so I was searching for a show where I could cast close colleagues and friends I worked with over time and bring one last show to life before I leave SpeakEasy,” he says. Eddie Shields, the actor that Daigneault directed to an Elliot Norton Award nomination in SpeakEasy’s 2022 production of Matthew Lopez’s “The Inheritance,” will star as Alfie. Other SpeakEasy favorites in the show include Aimee Doherty, Kerry A. Dowling, Kathy St. George, Will McGarrahan, Jennifer Ellis and Sam Simahk.
Daigneault also has strong ties to McNally, who died in 2020 at age 81 of complications from the coronavirus. McNally attended SpeakEasy’s 2007 production of his play “Some Men” and the 2004 staging of “A Man of No Importance.” The playwright was the guest of honor at SpeakEasy’s 20th Anniversary Gala in 2011. At that time, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino declared April 4, 2011 as “Terrence McNally Day” in the city in recognition of “the tremendous contribution that Mr. McNally has made in the theater community throughout his illustrious career.”
“He was so generous,” says Daigneault of McNally, adding that McNally’s husband, Tom Kirdahy, is “a super, wonderful guy who loves musicals and plays and has been supportive of this production.”
For his next act, Daigneault isn’t sure beyond plans to take at least six months off and will travel this summer on a cruise to Alaska with his husband Jeffrey Mello, the first openly gay Episcopal Bishop for the state of Connecticut, and their son. “I am a big national parks enthusiast and it’s on my bucket list to visit all 63,” says Daigneault, who has logged 34 parks so far. “It’s also my 60th birthday in March so that’s my celebration.”
He’ll continue to teach and may even direct down the road. Or maybe not. “I’ve had a charmed career,” he says. “At SpeakEasy, I was able to direct everything I wanted to do because I chose the plays. So there’s no hole in my artistic soul. I don’t have to chase artistic fulfillment. There will be a new leader hired to take over and I’ll have to adjust to that. But I am thrilled with what I’ve accomplished and that I’ve gotten the company to the point where it can run without me.” n
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