National Theatre's critically acclaimed production which reimagines Oscar Wilde's most celebrated comedy, opens in the West End next month.
The cast of The Importance of Being Earnest in rehearsals. Photo by Justine Matthew.
In a co-production with Sonia Friedman Productions, The Importance of Being Earnest features an electric cast including Olly Alexander as Algernon Moncrieff with Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Jack Worthing, Hugh Dennis as Rev. 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 as Lady Bracknell. Joining the cast as ensemble and understudy members are Jasmine Kerr, Sam Liu, Gillian McCafferty, Elliot Pritchard and Liv Spencer.
The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedic play which looks at Victorian society's obsession with social conventions, particularly the institution of marriage and the significance of names. The story revolves around two protagonists, Jack and Algernon, who create fictitious identities to escape their social responsibilities, leading to humorous misunderstandings and ultimately exposing the absurdity of their societal norms.
The Importance of Being Earnest plays at the Noel Coward Theatre from 18 September 2025 to 10 January 2026. It follows The Comedy About Spies which runs to 5 September.
