Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest has returned to the West End in Max Webster’s riotous revival, now playing at the Noël Coward Theatre after its acclaimed run at the National. This production doesn’t whisper its intentions. It bursts onto the stage in a flurry of colour and irreverence, gleefully queering Wilde’s classic while holding onto its sharp social comedy. Not everything works in perfect balance, but the result is irresistibly alive.

From the opening moment, Olly Alexander makes it clear this is not your grandmother’s Earnest. Draped in a hot pink ballgown and framed by dry ice, his Algernon plays piano like a pop icon before slipping back into the play’s elegant rhythm. Alexander is mischievous and magnetic, perfectly attuned to Wilde’s playful cruelty. Opposite him, Nathan Stewart Jarrett’s Jack is tense, exasperated, and often hilariously flustered. Together they move through the story with a chemistry that hums, not romantic, but charged with energy and teasing camaraderie. Occasionally the physical comedy overshadows Wilde’s verbal brilliance, but their timing keeps it buoyant.

Webster’s staging leans into queer fantasy rather than Victorian restraint. Wilde’s world of hidden identities and secret lives becomes something proudly unhidden, filled with winks to the audience and moments of joyful chaos. The women follow suit. Kitty Hawthorne’s Gwendolen is sharp, modern, and unapologetically sensual. Jessica Whitehurst’s Cecily, all apparent sweetness, reveals a wry strength that constantly surprises. Their tea-table duel, full of subtext and flirtation, is one of the most entertaining scenes of the night, hinting that the romantic pairings might not be as straightforward as they appear.

Stephen Fry, towering in taffeta and wit, commands the stage as Lady Bracknell. Having once portrayed Wilde on film, Fry now embodies one of his finest creations with authority and warmth. His performance avoids the easy route of pantomime. Instead, he finds a stillness that makes every word land like a jewel. When the inevitable “A handbag?” arrives, it feels both familiar and freshly earned. Fry gives Lady Bracknell the hauteur of high society, but also a knowing humour that feels entirely his own.

Among the supporting players, Hayley Carmichael is a revelation. Doubling as both Lane and Merriman, she turns tiny parts into comic masterpieces through perfect physical precision. Hugh Dennis is an endearing Chasuble, and Shobna Gulati gives Miss Prism an unexpected sweetness that works beautifully. Every performer contributes to Webster’s lively, deliberately overstuffed world.

Rae Smith’s design work is pure theatrical indulgence. Rooms bloom with impossible colours, gardens shimmer in stage-lit sunlight, and every costume seems ready for a drag runway. The aesthetic borders on excess, yet it captures Wilde’s own philosophy of artifice as truth. The curtain call, a blaze of sequins and colour, feels like a celebration of everything the play represents: beauty, defiance, and joy.

This Earnest may not please purists. It can be too loud, too self-aware, too enamoured of its own sparkle. But that is also its charm. Wilde’s world was one of masks, secrets, and coded identities. Webster has stripped away the disguise and turned the play into a celebration of liberation. Beneath the glitter, the original heartbeat of Wilde’s comedy remains intact, beating faster, brighter, and more defiantly than ever.

The Importance of Being Earnest
By Oscar Wilde
Directed by Max Webster
Noël Coward Theatre, London. Until 10 January 2026

Cast: Olly Alexander, Nathan Stewart Jarrett, Stephen Fry, Kitty Hawthorne, Jessica Whitehurst, Hayley Carmichael, Hugh Dennis, Shobna Gulati

Creative team: Set and costume design by Rae Smith, lighting by Jon Clark, sound by Nicola T. Chang, movement by Carrie Anne Ingrouille, music by DJ Walde

Tickets: Now booking at noelcowardtheatre.co.uk

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