“He was a pioneer of LGBTQ+ rights”
The Importance of Being Earnest rehearsals get underway. As previously announced, Olly Alexander will play the role of Algernon Moncrieff with 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. Max Webster will direct.
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.
Stephen Fry says, “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.”
Olly Alexander adds, “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.”
Noël Coward Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4AU from Thursday 18 September 2025 – Saturday 10 January 2026.
Booking and full details: www.EarnestOnStage.com
