Further casting set for 'The Importance of Being Earnest' in the West End

Find out who's joining Olly Alexander in the West End transfer of Oscar Wilde's comedy play, first directed by Max Webster to critical acclaim in autumn 2024.

Further casting has been named for The Importance of Being Earnest in the West End, playing at the Noël Coward Theatre from 18 September 2025 until 10 January 2026.

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

Stephen Fry said: "I was delighted to be asked by Max Webster to join his jubilant National Theatre production and play the formidable Lady Bracknell in the West End. Oscar Wilde has been a hugely important figure in my life and career and The Importance of Being Earnest is a play that changed my life when I first saw it aged 10. It made me understand what language can do and absolutely transported me. Wilde is a beacon to people who still believe in open thinking and adventuring with the mind and spirit."

Directed by Max Webster, this reimagined production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest follows two men who adopt false identities to be able to let loose, which complicates matters when they meet two young women and must navigate their web of lies.

Max Webster said: “Oscar Wilde was a master of elegance, rebellion, and razor-sharp wit. With this cast – led by the audacious brilliance of Olly Alexander, the hugely captivating Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and the legendary Stephen Fry as Lady Bracknell – we’re embracing the play’s subversive heart in a way that feels utterly now. I’d like to think Wilde would be delighted – and perhaps even a little scandalised – by this bold, joyful take on his most iconic comedy.”

The Importance of Being Earnest creative team also features set and costume designer Rae Smith, lighting designer Jon Clark, sound designer Nicola T. Chang, movement director Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, and composer DJ Walde.

Book The Importance of Being Earnest tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Photo credit: Olly Alexander, Hugh Dennis, Stephen Fry, Shobna Gulati, Hayley Carmichael, Jessica Whitehurst, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and Kitty Hawthorne. (Photos courtesy of production)