The Importance of Being Earnest Reveals Further Casting Ahead Of West End Opening
Further casting has now been revealed for the forthcoming West End production of The Importance of Being Earnest, with Sam Liu, Elliot Pritchard, Jasmine Kerr, Gillian McCafferty, and Liv Spencer joining the cast as understudies and ensemble members.
The play will showcase at the Noel Coward Theatre from September 18 to January 10 2026 starring Olly Alexander as Algernon Moncrieff, alongside Hugh Dennis as Rev. Canon Chasuble, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Jack Worthing, Kitty Hawthorne as Gwendolen Fairfax, Shobna Gulati as Miss Prism, Hayley Carmichael as Merriman/Lane, Jessica Whitehurst as Cecily Cardew, and Stephen Fry as Lady Bracknell.
Stephen Fry commented, saying: "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."
The reimagined production of Oscar Wilde's hilarious comedy is directed by Max Webster and focuses on two men who take on false identities to enable them to let loose, which gets complicated after they meet two young women and need to 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 creative team behind The Importance of Being Earnest features lighting designer Jon Clark, set and costume designer Rae Smith, sound designer Nicola T. Chang, composer DJ Walde, and movement director Carrie-Anne Ingrouille.
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