London's National Theatre opened a dramatically reimagined revival of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest November 29, and the reviews are in. Find out what critics are saying—and get a first look at the opulent production—below.
Max Webster (Life of Pi) is at the helm, with performances continuing through January 25, 2025.
The cast is led by Sharon D Clarke (Death of a Salesman) as Lady Bracknell, Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ (Blues for an Alabama Sky) as Gwendolen Fairfax, Julian Bleach (Doctor Who) as Lane and Merriman, Richard Cant (Stan & Ollie) as Reverend Canon Chasuble, Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who) as Algernon Moncrieff, Amanda Lawrence (Star Wars: Episode – IX The Rise of Skywalker) as Miss Prism, Eliza Scanlen (Little Women) as Cecily Cardew, and Hugh Skinner (W1A) as Jack Worthing.
Ensemble members include Shereener Browne (The Effect), Jasmine Kerr (Follies), Gillian McCafferty (The Rise & Fall of Little Voice), Elliot Pritchard (Museum of Austerity), and John Vernon (Coriolanus).
Afridiziak Theatre News (Gerrard Martin)
The Arts Desk (Rachel Halliburton)
BroadwayWorld (Cindy Marcolina)
Financial Times (Sarah Hemming)
The Independent (Alice Saville)
London Theatre (Marianka Swain)
The New York Times (Matt Wolf)*
South London (Michael Holland)
Theatre Reviews With Paul Seven (Paul Seven Lewis)
*This review may require creating a free account or a paid subscription.
Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
The staging features set and costume design by Rae Smith, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Nicola T. Chang, music by DJ Walde, hair and make-up design by Adele Brandman, and movement direction by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille. The physical comedy advisor is Joyce Henderson, intimacy coordinator is Ingrid Mackinnon, dialect coach is Hazel Holder, and voice coach is Shereen Ibrahim. Casting is by Alastair Coomer and Chloe Blake.
The production will be filmed and released to movie theatres February 20, 2025, via National Theatre Live. Visit NTLive.com.
Ncuti Gatwa in The Importance of Being Earnest
Company of The Importance of Being Earnest
Ncuti Gatwa and company of The Importance of Being Earnest
Company of The Importance of Being Earnest
Sharon D Clarke, Amanda Lawrence, Ncuti Gatwa, and Eliza Scanlen in The Importance of Being Earnest
Sharon D Clarke in The Importance of Being Earnest
Sharon D Clarke in The Importance of Being Earnest
Sharon D Clarke and Ncuti Gatwa in The Importance of Being Earnest
Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́, Hugh Skinner, Eliza Scanlen, and Ncuti Gatwa in The Importance of Being Earnest
Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ in The Importance of Being Earnest
Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ and Eliza Scanlen in The Importance of Being Earnest
Richard Cant, Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́, Eliza Scanlen, Sharon D Clarke, and Ncuti Gatwa in The Importance of Being Earnest
Amanda Lawrence and Richard Cant in The Importance of Being Earnest
Ncuti Gatwa in The Importance of Being Earnest
Ncuti Gatwa in The Importance of Being Earnest
Ncuti Gatwa in The Importance of Being Earnest
Ncuti Gatwa and Hugh Skinner in The Importance of Being Earnest
Ncuti Gatwa and Hugh Skinner in The Importance of Being Earnest
Julian Bleach in The Importance of Being Earnest
Hugh Skinner, Sharon D Clarke, Ncuti Gatwa, and Eliza Scanlen in The Importance of Being Earnest
Hugh Skinner in The Importance of Being Earnest
Hugh Skinner and Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ in The Importance of Being Earnest
Hugh Skinner and Ncuti Gatwa in The Importance of Being Earnest
Eliza Scanlen in The Importance of Being Earnest
