The Importance of Being Earnest with Olly Alexander, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Stephen Fry – first look photos

Take a look at photos from the National Theatre’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest, as it moves into the West End.

Oscar Wilde’s treasured comedy about hidden identities, cucumber sandwiches and unexpected romances will open at the Noël Coward Theatre this autumn, in a co-production with Sonia Friedman Productions.

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 show has begun preview performances ahead of tonight’s opening night, and continue until 10 January 2026. Over 20,000 tickets are available for under £30 across the run.

Directed by Max Webster, the production stars Olly Alexander in 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, with ensemble and understudy members Jasmine Kerr, Sam Liu, Gillian McCafferty, Elliot Pritchard and Liv Spencer.

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Watch the trailer here:

Continues below. 

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.

You can listen to Sonia Friedman on a recent episode of the WhatsOnStage Podcast – all for free – here: