this autumn in a co-production with Sonia Friedman Productions.
This “bold and brash Wilde reboot” (★★★★ The Times) will play a limited season at the Noël Coward Theatre from 18 September 2025 to 10 January 2026.
Directed by Max Webster, this “sparkling new production” (★★★★★ Daily Mail) reimagines Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated comedy with flamboyance and flair.
Olly Alexander, acclaimed singer, actor and Eurovision 2024 representative, will star as Algernon Moncrieff. Further casting is yet to be announced.
Olly Alexander said:
“I’m over the moon to be returning to a West End stage to take on the fabulous role of Algernon Moncrieff in Oscar Wilde’s most fun and favoured play. I’ve always hugely admired Wilde – he’s a true icon, not only a hugely successful and influential 19th century writer but also a trailblazing queer artist who fearlessly pushed against the expectations of society. He was a pioneer of LGBTQ+ rights before such a thing existed and I’m so excited and proud to get the chance to inhabit his work.”
Director Max Webster added:
“I am ecstatic that The Importance of Being Earnest is transferring to the West End starring the brilliant Olly Alexander this September for a winter run. The creative team and I really wanted to honour Oscar Wilde’s life and work and celebrate his legendary wit, fabulousness and imaginative freedom with this production. We found that the play felt amazingly fresh and contemporary, and there was an incredible audience response night after night during its original run at the National Theatre. I can’t wait to share this production again, with audiences in the West End, and am especially excited to work with Olly who I am certain will create a new and fabulous take on Wilde’s iconic character Algenon Moncreiff.”
The production features set and costume design by Rae Smith, lighting by Jon Clark, sound by Nicola T. Chang, and movement by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille. DJ Walde provides the score, with Joyce Henderson as physical comedy advisor and Ingrid Mackinnon as intimacy coordinator.
The Importance of Being Earnest was first staged at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton Theatre in November 2024 and later broadcast to cinemas via National Theatre Live, reaching over 165,000 viewers in the UK.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
