The Importance of Being Earnest

Jack Worthing is living a double life.

To escape his dull country existence, he has invented a younger brother called Ernest, whose scandalous behaviour requires Jack to regularly travel to London. Once in the city, Jack becomes Ernest. He is head over heels in love with Gwendolyn Fairfax, the daughter of the formidable Lady Bracknell. When his best friend Algernon discovers that Jack has a secret identity and a beautiful niece called Cecily, he heads down to the country posing as the delinquent brother Ernest.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest comedies ever written, The Importance of Being Earnest zings with contemporary relevance, subversively satirising the snobbery and hypocrisy of extreme wealth and excess.

Oscar Wilde’s dazzling play gets a stylish makeover from our creative director Ryan McBryde, who last had us in stitches with the madcap farces They Don’t Pay? We Don’t Pay! and The Comedy Of Errors.

Sparkling with razor sharp quips and lush period design, this gold-standard comedy guarantees a Wilde night out!

Director Ryan McBryde
Designer Katie Lias

Afternoon Tea Offer

Book two tickets for The Importance of Being Earnest and Afternoon Tea for two people, and receive 15% off your order! If you’re buying or have purchased as a gift, we’ll waive any exchange fees if you need to change performance date nearer the time. Simply add both items to your online basket and the offer will apply automatically, or alternatively call our box office on 01206 573948 to book over the phone. Gift wallets are available at our box office.

Booking for a school?

If you’d like to book for a school group we’re pleased to offer tickets for £12 (including levy) and for every 10 tickets you buy the 11th is free for a teacher or member of support staff.

You can book today (and even pre-order ice cream!) by filling in our form or by calling our customer experience team on 01206 573948. Please be aware the form will ask you for your first and second choice performances dates and times, so please do have a look through the performance schedule below before heading over to the form.

Schools Order Form

Download Education Pack

Schools Workshop

Make your school’s visit to The Importance of Being Earnest even more enriching with our fun workshop exploring the text, the context in which it was written, and the Mercury’s production. This practical workshop is the perfect way to help students engage with the text before or after they’ve seen the show. The workshop can take place either in school or at the theatre and we can adjust the duration to fit with your lesson timetable.

For: Key Stage 3+
Cost: £150 +VAT

To book, email [email protected].

Accessibility

There will be an Audio Described performance on Sat 9 Mar, 2.30pm.
There will be a Captioned performance on Sun 10 Mar, 3pm.

Post-show Q&A

Following the 2.30pm performance on Thu 7 Mar there will be a Q&A with the cast & creatives.

Additional information

We’ve gone wild for Wilde – if you’re a big fan of The Play That Goes Wrong, Noises Off! and One Man Two Guvnors, and want an interactive earnest, you may also enjoy the Say It Again Sorry production, The Importance of Being… Earnest?, coming to us in April. Want to know more about the two shows? Check out the video below!

Meet the Characters

Want to meet the cast behind the characters too?

Check out our fabulous Cast Interviews with  Mateo Oxley and Claire Lee Shenfield; Richard David-Caine and Harrie Hayes; Martin Miller and Elizabeth Bower; Susannah van den Berg and Gillian Bevan.