The Importance of Being Earnest

The “fun, flamboyant, and campy” Importance of Being Earnest @NationalTheatre is SOLD OUT!!! But … you can see the whole show in cinemas from 20th February. Check listings @NTLive Visit: https://theimportanceofbeingearnest.ntlive.com/synopsis/

Oscar Wilde’s final play, a comedy of manners from 1895, is reimagined in Max Webster’s vibrant production. Blending period aesthetics with modern flair, it features Ncuti Gatwa as a flamboyant Algernon and Hugh Skinner as a comically vulnerable Jack. Themes of queer identity shine through cross-dressing, same-sex kisses, and playful subversions of traditional masculinity. The cast dazzles, particularly Sharon D Clarke’s commanding Lady Bracknell and Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo’s mischievous Gwendolen. Rae Smith’s dreamy sets and costumes mix Victorian elegance with Caribbean influences. Balancing Wilde’s sharp wit with joyful anarchy, this stylish and energetic adaptation captures the humor and rebellious spirit of the original.