Stephen Fry, Olly Alexander and the cast of The Importance of Being Earnest celebrate queer joy at the show’s West End opening night

Last night, the National Theatre’s much-loved revival of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest celebrated its official opening at the Noël Coward Theatre.

Hailed by WhatsOnStage as “sure-fire comedy cracker for all seasons” in our glittering review, Max Webster’s production is led by Olly Alexander (as Algernon Moncrieff), 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) in the West End.

We caught up with the cast at the show’s afterparty to get their thoughts on this joyously queer interpretation of the Wilde classic:

The company is completed by ensemble and understudy members Jasmine Kerr, Sam Liu, Gillian McCafferty, Elliot Pritchard and Liv Spencer.

Co-produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, and following a sold-out run at the National Theatre and a cinema broadcast through National Theatre Live (where it starred Ncuti Gatwa and Sharon D Clarke), the piece continues until 10 January 2026.

Webster, who recently directed Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse and Life of Pi in both the West End and on Broadway, leads a creative team that includes set and costume designer Rae Smith, lighting designer Jon Clark, sound designer Nicola T Chang, movement director Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, and composer DJ Walde. Additional team members include physical comedy advisor Joyce Henderson, intimacy coordinator Ingrid Mackinnon, casting director Alastair Coomer, and dialect coach Kate Godfrey.

Tickets are on sale below.