No longer booking
  • Venue Noël Coward Theatre, London
  • Performance dates Booking to 10 January 2026
  • Running time 2 hours 45 minutes (including interval)

The Importance of Being Earnest London Tickets – Starring Olly Alexander, Stephen Fry, Hugh Dennis, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett & Shobna Gulati

Oscar Wilde’s brilliant comedy The Importance of Being Earnest returns to London’s West End in a dazzling new production at the Noël Coward Theatre from September. This timeless satire of identity, romance, and mistaken intentions is one of the most beloved plays in the English language.

The Importance of Being Earnest boasts an all-star cast including Olly Alexander (It’s A Sin, Years & Years) as the charming and mischievous Algernon Moncrieff, National treasure Sir Stephen Fry as Lady Bracknell, Hugh Dennis (Outnumbered, Not Going Out) as the Reverend Canon Chasuble, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Femme) as Jack Worthing, and Shobna Gulati (Coronation Street) as Miss Prism.

Following its acclaimed run at the National Theatre, the production transfers to the West End under the direction of Tony and Olivier Award-winning director Max Webster (Life of Pi, Macbeth).

Don’t miss your chance to see this sparkling revival of a theatrical classic, with this fresh staging brings Wilde’s razor-sharp wit and social commentary to a new generation.

The Importance of Being Earnest is playing at the Noël Coward Theatre, London from 18 September 2025 until 10 January 2026.

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 facade.

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.

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Performance Information

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Stars and Creatives

Who is in the cast of The Importance of Being Earnest?

Starring Olly Alexander* as Algernon Moncrieff, Stephen Fry as Lady Bracknell, and Hugh Dennis as Reverend Canon Chasuble, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Jack Worthing, Shobna Gulati as Miss Prism, Kitty Hawthorne as Gwendolen Fairfax, Jessica Whitehurst as Cecily Cardew, and Hayley Carmichael as Merriman/Lane.

The Ensemble and understudy cast are Jasmine Kerr, Sam Liu, Gillian McCafferty, Elliot Pritchard and Liv Spencer.

* Note: Olly Alexander will not perform on Saturday 20 September & Friday 7 – Thursday 13 November.

Who are the creative team of The Importance of Being Earnest?

  • Written by Oscar Wilde
  • Directed by Max Webster
  • Set and costume designer Rae Smith
  • Lighting designer Jon Clark
  • Sound designer Nicola T. Chang
  • Movement director Carrie-Anne Ingrouille
  • Composer D.J. Walde
  • Casting director Alastair Coomer CDG
  • Associate director Aaliyah McKay
  • Associate set designer Tim Blazdell
  • Associate costume designer Johanna Coe
  • Associate lighting designer Hector Murray
  • Associate sound designer Chris Reid
  • Physical comedy advisor Joyce Henderson
  • Intimacy coordinator Ingrid Mackinnon
  • Voice and dialect coach Kate Godfrey

Important Notes

Content advice: This production contains strong language, suggestive content and smoke and haze.

Cast availability: Olly Alexander is not scheduled to play Saturday 20th September, and Friday 7th to Thursday 13 November.

Access Performances: Captioned Performances: Tuesday 18 November 2025 at 7pm & Saturday 3 January 2026 at 2pm; Audio Described Performances: Thursday 27 November 2025 at 7pm & Saturday 13 December 2025 at 2pm; BSL Performances: Saturday 22 November 2025 at 2pm & Thursday 11 December at 7pm

The Importance of Being Earnest played at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton theatre from 20 November 2024 to 25 January 2025. This production transfers to the Noel Coward Theatre in London’s West End from September 2025

Venue Information

Noël Coward Theatre , St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4AA

Nearest Tube or Train: Leicester Square (Northern line, Piccadilly line)

Nearest Buses: 24, 29, 176

Directions

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Critics' reviews of The Importance of Being Earnest

★★★★★ Max Webster's "sparkling new production" - Daily Mail (National Theatre 2024)

★★★★ "Stephen Fry is a gender-bending delight as Lady Bracknell. Oscar Wilde’s theatrical masterpiece... fits like a glove into the Noël Coward Theatre" - The Telegraph (West End 2025)

★★★★ "An exuberant, joyous, celebratory evening" - Financial Times (West End 2025)

★★★★ "Stephen Fry was born to play Lady Bracknell... Max Webster’s joyous production" - Daily Mail (West End 2025)

★★★★ "Funny, fresh, irreverent" - TimeOut (West End 2025)

★★★★ "A comedy cracker" - What's On Stage (West End 2025)

★★★★ "Olly Alexander and Stephen Fry are a delight in this colourful, giddily subversive comedy" - London Theatre (West End 2025)

★★★★ "With its dazzle, joy and original anarchic spirit of pantomime, this is the most stylish festive show in town" - The Guardian (National Theatre 2024)

★★★★ "It’s a joy" - The Times (National Theatre 2024)

★★★★ "Very beautiful, very charismatic, very funny actors... a pure blast" - TimeOut (National Theatre 2024)

Also see: The Importance of Being Earnest Reviews Round-up

Frequently Asked Questions

The Importance of Being Earnest is playing at the Noël Coward Theatre in London
The running time of The Importance of Being Earnest is 2 hours 45 minutes (including interval)
Yes, The Importance of Being Earnest has matinee performances on the following days: Thursday, Saturday
No, sorry, The Importance of Being Earnest has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.

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