Lyric Hammersmith Theatre has announced casting for its upcoming production of An Ideal Husband, by Oscar Wilde, directed by Nicholai La Barrie.
The production will run at the Lyric from 7 May to 6 June 2026, before transferring to Bristol Old Vic from 10 to 20 June.
Set on the 100th anniversary of the play’s last appearance at the Lyric in 1926, the new staging relocates Wilde’s classic comedy to the rarefied world of modern, affluent London.
The cast is led by Emmanuel Akwafo, who returns to the Lyric as Mason and Phipps, alongside Jeff Alexander as Earl of Caversham and Nimmy March as Lady Basildon.
Also joining the company are Suzette Llewellyn as Lady Markby, Tamara Lawrance as Lady Chiltern, Tiwa Lade as Mabel Chiltern and Chiké Okonkwo as Lord Chiltern.
Aurora Perrineau will play Mrs Cheveley, with Sule Thelwell as Vicomte de Nanjac and Jamael Westman as Lord Goring, marking Westman’s return to the Lyric following his appearance in Aladdin in 2011.
Broadcaster and DJ Trevor Nelson MBE will also lend his voice to the production.
Director Nicholai La Barrie said: “I’m very excited to begin working on this show with such an incredible, dynamic cast. An Ideal Husband is, at its heart, about the contradictions that define us: love and betrayal, politics and family, forgiveness and redemption, morality and greed.”
Rachel O’Riordan, Artistic Director of Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, said: “Nicholai La Barrie’s major new production of An Ideal Husband, set in an opulent, modern-day London, will do exactly that. I cannot wait for audiences to meet this wonderful cast as they bring Oscar Wilde’s enduring comedy to life on our beautiful stage.”
The creative team includes set and costume designer Rajha Shakiry, lighting designer Zeynep Kepekli, sound designer Holly Khan, movement director Alexzandra Sarmiento and casting director Heather Basten CDG.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
