The Importance of Being Earnest

Directed by Max Webster, 2025
Originally written by Oscar Wilde
NR, 180 minutes

Three-time Olivier Award-winner Sharon D Clarke is joined by Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who; Sex Education) in this joyful reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated comedy.

While assuming the role of a dutiful guardian in the country, Jack lets loose in town under a false identity. Meanwhile, his friend Algy adopts a similar facade. Hoping to impress two eligible ladies, the gentlemen find themselves caught in a web of lies they must carefully navigate.

Max Webster (Life of Pi) directs this hilarious story of identity, impersonation, and romance, filmed live from the National Theatre in London.

Learn more about this production and purchase tickets here.

Presented by Amphibian Stage in partnership with the Modern, National Theatre Live is the National Theatre of Great Britain’s initiative to broadcast live performances from the National’s stages to cinemas worldwide. National Theatre Live performances are filmed live in high definition and broadcast via satellite to almost 400 cinemas around the world, live in Europe and some US cities, and time-delayed in countries further afield.