Brandon Wardell has left the cast of A Man of No Importance, the new musical which reunites the Ragtime crew of composer Stephen Flaherty, lyricist Lynn Ahrens and librettist Terrence McNally. His replacement is Steven Pasquale.

Roger Rees and Faith Prince lead the cast. They will be supported by the capable likes of Ronn Carroll, Luther Creek, Michael McCormick, Jessica Molaskey, Martin Moran, Sally Murphy, Charles Keating, Barbara Marineau, Sean McCourt, Katherine McGrath and Patti Perkins. Pasquale appeared in Off-Broadway's The Spitfire Grill and TV's "Six Feet Under."

The production bows Sept. 12 at the Off-Broadway Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre. Opening is Oct. 10. The show received a reading at Lincoln Center Theater in March 2001. Joe Mantello directed and will repeat his duties this summer.

The show is based on the 1994 film of the same name. The movie, set in 1963 Dublin, starred Albert Finney as Alfie Byrne (Rees), a closeted gay bus driver with a passion for Oscar Wilde who still lives with his sister (Prince). The film concerns Alfie's torn passion for two people and his coming to terms with his true nature as he gets involved in a church staging of a Wilde play.

The title is a play on the Wilde work A Woman of No Importance. The show will have musical staging by Jonathan Butterell, musical direction by Ted Sperling (recently named associate artistic director of Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia), sets by Loy Arcenas, costumes by Jane Greenwood, lighting by Donald Holder and sound by Scott Lehrer.

—By Robert Simonson