The Importance of Being Earnest at the National Theatre

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest premiered mere weeks before the scandal that led to his imprisonment for homosexuality – a sharp irony for a play steeped in veiled double lives and repressed desires. Director Max Webster’s bold revival doesn’t so much tease out these homoerotic undercurrents as drape them in feathered headdresses and neon tulle. This production is a frothy, flamboyant spectacle, a collision of Wilde’s Victorian wit and 21^st-century insolence.

From its very first moment, the tone is boldly set: Ncuti Gatwa’s Algernon, stunning in a pink ball gown, takes centre stage at a grand piano, surrounded by a whirl of cross-dressing dancers. The production unfolds as a fever-dream ballroom, alive with campy choreography and cheeky nods to pop icons like Snoop Dogg and Miley Cyrus. Beneath the opulent, RuPaul-esque period costumes and kitsch antics, Max Webster dives headfirst into Wilde’s subtext, with queer fantasia that is unapologetically exuberant and funny.

Gatwa’s Algernon and Hugh Skinner’s Jack are a magnetic duo, their secret identities brought to life through playful, gender-bending performances. Algernon effortlessly embraces cross-dressing, while Jack’s exaggerated postures – hands on hips, eyebrows raised –hint at a man who’s long since abandoned traditional notions of masculinity. Their secret escapades take on a cheeky, knowing tone as they linger in embraces and cosy up just a little too close on the couch. Throughout the production, characters freely swap partners and kisses, break the fourth wall, flash a bit of skin, stick out their tongues and make sexual noises – this is a world where anything goes.

Yet, for all its silliness, Webster’s Earnest maintains an elegant balance. Wilde’s text remains sharp and funny, delivered with impeccable timing. Modern touches – a letter from Dalston Superstore here, a pop-culture quip there – are sprinkled in just enough to entertain without overwhelming. Rae Smith’s set is a visual feast, with sunlit gardens with rose bushes and pristine, white-panelled drawing rooms. Her costumes are equally striking, with Victorian silhouettes reimagined with bold colours, extravagant frills, traditional African dress and kitschy gowns with exaggerated bums.

The cast is stellar: Skinner’s Jack is a masterclass in physical comedy, unravelling as his lies spiral out of control, shifting between a camp gentleman and outbursts of nervousness and embarrassment. Gatwa’s Algernon, infused with shades of his Sex Education charisma, delights in his extravagant costume changes and effortless charm. Sharon D Clarke’s Lady Bracknell is the undeniable standout: a commanding presence in a vibrant yellow hat paired with a traditional African headwrap. Her biting snobbery, delivered in a Jamaican accent, perfectly captures the hypocrisy and absurdity of high society. Every one of Bracknell’s iconic lines – arguably the finest in the play – is delivered by Clarke with flawless tone and absolutely brings the house down.

Eliza Scanlen’s Cecily embodies the quintessential spoilt Victorian child, seamlessly transitioning from prim and proper to audaciously bold and forward. She transforms a role that might otherwise feel outdated and reductive into something playful, and at times, completely outrageous. Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo’s Gwendolen, the spirited rebel, brims with charisma as she flirts unapologetically with Jack, coaxing a proposal from him. The chemistry between those two characters peaks in a standout garden scene, where they share tea and cake amidst exchanges that dance on the edge of sugary politeness and thinly veiled jealousy. With impeccable comedic timing and an undercurrent of erotic tension, this moment becomes a true highlight of the production.

Webster’s Earnest edges on an adult pantomime but avoids descending into complete farce. Wilde’s polished aphorisms and inversions (men apologise for lying, women shouldn’t flirt with their husbands, etc) remain intact. The production dances around its transgressions – same-sex gropes, innuendoes – but never loses its satirical spirit. Had Wilde himself been watching, he would have been clapping and cackling at this carnival of misbehaviour.

By the curtain call, as the cast parades in a dazzling explosion of couture, it’s clear this is no ordinary Victorian comedy. It’s a bold, unapologetic celebration of chaos, queerness and Wildean brilliance.

Constance Ayrton
Photos: Marc Brenner

The Importance of Being Earnest is at the National Theatre until 25^th January 2025. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.