Film poster for National Theatre Live's "The Importance of Being Ernest," featuring a Black man wearing an ivory shorts-suit, sitting in a square hole in a pink wall.
National Theatre Live

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNEST

Not Rated (contains strong language, suggestive content)
2 hours 45 mins (including an intermission)
Comedy, Drama | 2025 | UK | English

Directed by Max Webster
Written by Oscar Wilde

Showtimes

Saturday, March 8

11:35am

Sunday, March 16

3:00pm

Synopsis

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.

★★★★★
‘A flawless piece of comic theatre’
Broadway World

★★★★★
‘A sparkling new production…that’s fiercely faithful to Wilde’s wickedly subversive spirit’
Daily Mail

★★★★★
‘Fun, fabulous and fiery, it’s a hoot’
London Theatre

Trailer

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