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The Importance of Being Earnest

By Oscar Wilde

A man, wearing top hat and tails, is running, against a bright pink background.

Booking and details

20 November 2024 — 25 January 2025
Book now
The event location is

Lyttelton Theatre

National Theatre, South Bank, London SE1 9PX

Schools’ matinee at 2.30pm on Wednesday 11 December
Ticket request applications are open

A Trivial Comedy for Serious People

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.

Max Webster (Donmar’s Macbeth; Life of Pi) directs a joyful and flamboyant reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated comedy. Olivier Award-winner Sharon D Clarke (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Doctor Who) is joined by Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who; Sex Education) and Hugh Skinner (W1A; Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) in this hilarious story of identity, impersonation and romance.

Cast includes

Production team

Director

Max Webster

Set and Costume Designer

Rae Smith

Lighting Designer

Jon Clark

Jon Clark

Sound Designer

Nicola T. Chang

Composer

DJ Walde

Movement Director

Carrie-Anne Ingrouille

Physical Comedy Advisor

Joyce Henderson

Casting Director

Alastair Coomer CDG

Alastair Coomer CDG

Associate Costume Designer

Petros Kourtellaris

Associate Sound Designer

Christopher Reid

Christopher Reid

Staff Director

Tanuja Amarasuriya

Ticket prices

Monday – Saturday evenings and matinees:
£25, £39, £59, £79, £99

Previews 20 – 25 November:
£20, £35, £49, £64, £79

For concessions and discounts, see Ways to save

Please note the 6.30pm start time on the following Thursday performances: 12 Dec, 19 Dec, 9 Jan and 16 Jan.

Visit our Ticketing FAQs for information on how to book, ticket exchanges and more.

Prices may change according to demand

Assisted performances

Captioned

BSL Interpreted

Audio described

No Chilled performance available.

Dementia-friendly

No Relaxed performance available.

The interpreter for the BSL performance will be announced closer to the performance date.

Audio-described performances are preceded by a Touch Tour, 90 minutes before the performance start time. Call the Access line on 020 7452 3961 to book Touch Tours.

Audio description by Tony McBride and Timna Fibert.

We have an allocation of tickets held for members of our Access scheme and if any of the assisted performances above are shown as “Sold Out”, tickets may still be available: Please log in to your account to view all available tickets, or call Box Office on 020 7452 3961

Smart caption glasses

Are planned to be available for performances of The Importance of Being Earnest from 7.30pm, Thursday 5 December.

Bookshop

Visit the Bookshop website for a wide range of playtexts, gifts and prints of past production posters.