Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy that has survived countless reinventions, some brilliant, others best forgotten. Max Webster’s recent spin at the wheel for the National Theatre falls firmly into the former camp. It is a sharp, thoroughly entertaining revival, and for a week next month, you can judge it for yourself without opening your wallet.
From 12 March, the National Theatre is throwing open its digital doors, streaming the winter 2024/2025 production entirely free on YouTube.
It’s a smart move, dropping a genuinely high-calibre piece of theatre directly onto our screens. Webster approaches the text with a wry sense of humour and a welcome lack of reverence, ensuring Wilde’s razor-edged dialogue still lands with precision.
The Cast
The production is anchored by a decidedly starry ensemble who know exactly what to do with the material:
- Ncuti Gatwa: Swapping the TARDIS for Victorian high society, he brings a louche, highly watchable energy to Algernon Moncrieff.
- Sharon D Clarke: Taking on the imposing mantle of Lady Bracknell, she delivers a formidable, granite-faced performance that thankfully refuses to imitate her famous predecessors.
- Hugh Skinner: A consistently reliable comic presence, Skinner hits all the right notes of twitchy, repressed anxiety as Jack Worthing.
- Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ & Eliza Scanlen: As Gwendolen and Cecily, both inject a necessary modern bite into the ensuing romantic chaos.
How to Watch
The broadcast forms part of the NT’s ‘Take Your Seats’ initiative. Proceedings kick off with a digital watch-along premiere on YouTube at 7pm GMT on Thursday, 12 March. Viewers can interact via a live chat function—though you are, of course, entirely free to ignore the comments and simply watch the play.
Crucially, the broadcast is fully accessible, with captioned, audio-described, and BSL options available from the jump.
You’ll have until 18 March to catch it before it vanishes behind the National Theatre at Home (very good value) paywall for subscribers. It’s two hours of premium London theatre delivered straight to your living room. Take advantage of it?
Featured Image: NTL 2025 The Importance of Being Earnest Production Photography
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