The Importance of Being Earnest | Noël Coward Theatre

The National Theatre’s ‘exuberant, joyous and celebratory’ (Financial Times) production of The Importance of Being Earnest is now playing at the Noël Coward Theatre, in a co-production with Sonia Friedman Productions.

Directed by Max Webster (Donmar’s Macbeth; Life of Pi) this ‘gloriously frivolous’ (Daily Mail) reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s ‘glittering masterpiece’ (Telegraph), is a hilarious story of identity, impersonation and romance, that is ‘outrageously camp, flamboyantly queer and ludicrously entertaining’ (Broadway World).

With an all-star cast including Olly Alexander in the role of Algernon Moncrieff alongside Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Jack Worthing, Hugh Dennis as Reverend Canon Chasuble, Shobna Gulati as Miss Prism, Kitty Hawthorne as Gwendolen Fairfax, Jessica Whitehurst as Cecily Cardew, Hayley Carmichael as Merriman/Lane, and Stephen Fry in his ‘scene-stealing turn’ (The Stage) as Lady Bracknell.

Being sensible can be excessively boring. At least Jack thinks so. While assuming the role of dutiful guardian in the country, he lets loose in town under a false identity.

Meanwhile, his friend Algy takes on a similar façade. Unfortunately, living a double life has its drawbacks, especially when it comes to love. Hoping to impress two eligible ladies, the gentlemen find themselves caught in a web of lies they must carefully navigate.