The Court Theatre invites audiences to revel in the wit, romance and delicious absurdity of Oscar Wilde’s enduring masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by Kathleen Burns and playing in the Stewart Family Theatre from 21 February 2026.
A highly respected theatre-maker, Burns has a long and influential association with The Court Theatre as a director (Flagons and Foxtrots, Fun Home, Wolf Play), actor (Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, The End of the Golden Weather, Twelfth Night), and Court Jester.
Firmly established as one of the world’s most popular plays and said to be second only to Hamlet in quotability, this sparkling satire of social conventions and double lives, follows the charmingly deceptive Jack Worthing and his equally mischievous friend Algernon Moncrieff.
Today, The Court Theatre announces an extraordinary ensemble of its best-loved actors will bring this 1895 “trivial comedy for serious people” to life.
Presiding over the chaos with formidable authority is Court Theatre legend Yvonne Martin (August: Osage County, Romeo and Juliet,Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express) as the iconic Lady Bracknell—a role she brings to life with commanding presence and impeccable comic precision, described by Stephen Fry as one of theatre’s great comic creations.
Tom Eason (Frankenstein, Appropriate, Dance Nation) brings warmth and restraint to Jack, a respectable country gentleman who adopts the alter ego of “Ernest” whenever he escapes to London. Opposite him, James Kupa (Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, The End of the Golden Weather, Twelfth Night, The King’s Speech) revels in Algernon’s irreverent wit and flair for invention, conjuring an imaginary invalid friend to sidestep society’s duller obligations.
Complications multiply when romance enters the equation. In London, Jack’s carefully constructed fiction entangles him with the determined and delightfully idealistic Gwendolen Fairfax, played by Emma Katene (Fun Home, Twelfth Night, Wolf Play), who is unwavering in her belief that she must marry a man named Ernest. Back in the country, Algernon’s masquerade sweeps him into the affections of Jack’s young ward Cecily Cardew, portrayed by Court Theatre newcomer Adriana Calabrese, whose spirited imagination proves a perfect match for Wilde’s razor-sharp humour.
Burns says the enduring appeal of the play lies in its joyful skewering of social pretence.
“The Importance of Being Earnest is a celebration of language, silliness and subversion. Wilde exposes the absurdity of social rules by taking them completely seriously—and that’s where the comedy sings. It’s light, bright and unapologetically funny, but underneath it’s a play about freedom: the freedom to love, to invent yourself, and to choose joy.”
Supporting the tangled web of misunderstandings are Hillary Moulder (Jersey Boys, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago, Strictly Ballroom The Musical, The King’s Speech, 9 to 5 The Musical) as the earnest and quietly eccentric Miss Prism; Matt Hudson (La Cage Aux Folles, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The King’s Speech) as the genial Reverend Canon Chasuble; and Cameron Clayton (Something Rotten!, Strictly Ballroom The Musical, Twelfth Night, The King’s Speech, 9 to 5 The Musical), who brings deft comic timing to the dual roles of Lane and Merriman.
As mistaken identities unravel and truths are revealed, The Importance of Being Earnest remains as sharp, playful and subversive today as it was at its premiere in 1895. With its dazzling dialogue and impeccable comic structure, this Court Theatre production celebrates Wilde’s genius for exposing the absurdities of love, class and the pursuit of happiness.
Season & Tickets
The Importance of Being Earnest runs 21 February – 21 March 2026 in the Stewart Family Theatre. Tickets are on sale now via The Court Theatre.