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witty, earthy and subversive
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an entertaining conclusion
The Evening Standard

The Importance of Being Earnest Tickets

Wildly popular play returns

Oscar Wilde's seminal play The Importance of Being Earnest makes a West End return as the grand finale of Dominic Dromgoole's year-long season honouring the acclaimed playwright at London's Vaudeville Theatre.

The witty and linguistically rich story of The Importance of Being Earnest centres around two men, Jack and Algernon, and their disdain for social obligations and responsibility. They both confess to leading double lives, each taking an identity for the town and one for the country. Love, deceit and triviality are prominent themes, with potential allusion to Wilde’s gay lifestyle.

Widely regarded as one of the funniest plays ever written in English, this play is also a biting critique of upper-class society. The Importance of Being Earnest is especially poignant as it was the last play Wilde published before being imprisoned.

Sophie Thompson (Guys and Dolls,) leads the cast as the sharp-tongued Lady Bracknell, alongside Jeremy Swift (Downton Abbey) as Reverend Chasuble and Pippa Nixon as Gwendolyn Fairfax.

As the final show of Dromgoole’s celebrated West End Oscar Wilde season, The Importance of Being Earnest tickets are too important to be missed.

Performance dates: 20 Oct 2018 - 20 Oct 2018

Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes (including an interval)

Age recommendation: Best for age 8+

Sorry this show closed 20 October 2018, we recommend these similar productions.

No fees

The Importance of Being Earnest seat view photos show what view you will get for your money. Unfortunately we do not have any seat views for this show.

Stalls L5
3 reviews, 2 photos
from
£67.80
Stalls E16
5 reviews, 2 photos
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£79.70
Stalls A2
12 reviews, 10 photos
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£55.90
Stalls A16
13 reviews, 10 photos
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£55.90
Stalls D9
7 reviews, 4 photos
Dress Circle H15
2 reviews, 2 photos
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£67.80

Latest Audience Reviews

doonakebab Top 100 reviewer12 Feb 2019

A very entertaining production that had me laughing out loud quite often. It is well acted with good... More

LondonLass Top 50 reviewer11 Oct 2018

A very entertaining production that had me laughing out loud quite often. It is well acted with good comic performances and feels just the right length.

LondonLass Top 50 reviewer11 Oct 2018

Loved the show. The two 14 year old lads with me also enjoyed it - when they could keep up with the dialogue... More

leepeddie 22 Aug 2018

Loved the show. The two 14 year old lads with me also enjoyed it - when they could keep up with the dialogue and plot. They found it hard to believe the play was written over 100 years ago. That was partly due to the cast who, although in period costume, gave it a fresh feel with youthful delivery, facial expressions and mannerisms. Especially liked the butler kissing Algernon and the foot man doing the “I've got my eye on you” gesture to Algernon. Not sure if they do that every time, but it had the cast in stitches. Sophie Thompson’s performance was outstanding. A masterclass in acting and the heart of the show.

leepeddie 22 Aug 2018

This is the best of the Oscar Wilde season for sure, it is full of excellent one-liners which, 123 years... More

emilygami Top 50 reviewer22 Jul 2018

This is the best of the Oscar Wilde season for sure, it is full of excellent one-liners which, 123 years on, are still relevant to today. Sophie Thompson is an excellent Lady Bracknell and the rest of the cast are excellent.

emilygami Top 50 reviewer22 Jul 2018

I was rather excited about seeing this as I am involved in amateur theatre. And we performed this a few... More

dickymail121 17 Sep 2018

I was rather excited about seeing this as I am involved in amateur theatre. And we performed this a few months ago. The acting was good though at times slipped more into caricatures. The whole play was delivered at breakneck speed, far too fast to appreciate Wilde’s wonderful script. The over emphasis on Algernon being ‘very’ gay didn’t work for me (kissing the butler and Earnest). Subtlety is the key here. And it was more an in-your-face style. Lady Bracknell was very good and funny in a Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey delivery. On the whole, I felt this interpretation wasn’t that impressive and the director seemed to miss the original point.

dickymail121 17 Sep 2018