Olly Alexander to star in the West End transfer of The Importance of Being Earnest
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Sian McBride
Olly Alexander is set to make his West End debut in the West End transfer of The Importance of Being Earnest. stepping into the role of Algernon Moncrieff for the play’s highly anticipated transfer to the Noël Coward Theatre. Directed by Max Webster, this stylish revival of Oscar Wilde’s beloved comedy will run from 18 September 2025 to 10 January 2026, following a sold-out run at the National Theatre and a popular cinema broadcast.
This marks Alexander’s first acting role since his critically acclaimed performance in Channel 4’s It’s A Sin, which earned him a BAFTA nomination and established him as one of the UK’s most exciting screen talents. Since then, he’s become a fixture of pop culture - from fronting Years & Years to performing Dizzy at the Eurovision Song Contest, a song all about disorientation and identity, fittingly echoing Wilde’s tale of mistaken names and unexpected romance.
In The Importance of Being Earnest, Alexander plays Algernon, a charming and irreverent bachelor who - alongside his friend Jack - constructs elaborate lies to escape social obligations. Their deceptions spiral into farcical confusion as love, family, and hidden identities collide in Wilde’s sharp, sparkling satire of Victorian respectability.
Alexander takes over the role from Ncuti Gatwa, who originated Algernon in the National Theatre run. In a neat bit of timing, the baton was recently passed on screen as well: with Gatwa’s Doctor regenerating into another theatre favourite, Billie Piper.
Olly Alexander said: “I’m over the moon to be taking on the fabulous role of Algernon Moncrieff in Oscar Wilde’s most fun and favoured play. I’ve always hugely admired Wilde – he’s a true icon, not only a hugely successful and influential 19th century writer but also a trailblazing queer artist who fearlessly pushed against the expectations of society. He was a pioneer of LGBTQ+ rights before such a thing existed and I’m so excited and proud to get the chance to inhabit his work.”
Tickets for The Importance of Being Earnest at the Noël Coward Theatre will go on sale 26 June 2025.