A TENDER and beautifully woven tale of love, friendship and coming to terms with who we are is the basis of a musical being brought to life in November and December.

Playlovers and the Irish Theatre Players have joined forces to stage the WA premiere of A Man of No Importance by Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty – the same team behind Seussical and the Tony Award-winning Ragtime.

Based on the 1994 film starring Albert Finney, the musical is set in 1964 Dublin and follows bus driver Alfie Byrne, whose heart holds secrets he can’t share with anyone but his imagined confidante Oscar Wilde.

When he attempts to put on an amateur production of Wilde’s Salome in the local church hall, Alfie confronts the forces of bigotry and shame over a love “that dare not speak its name”.

Infused with Irish charm, soaring ballads and toe-tapping ensemble numbers, A Man of No Importance won the 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award for best off-Broadway musical.