The women of The Importance of Being Earnest on sexual fluidity, representation and bringing new audiences to the National Theatre

We recently sat down with three of the ladies currently starring in The Importance of Being Earnest at the National Theatre.

Sharon D Clarke, Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ (Blues for an Alabama Sky) and Eliza Scanlen (To Kill a Mockingbird) play Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew, respectively, in Max Webster’s new staging of the Oscar Wilde favourite.

In a show that wholeheartedly embraces themes of queerness and desire, the trio discuss sexual fluidity, the representation of the female characters in the piece and working with Doctor Who leading man, Ncuti Gatwa.

You can watch the video below:

The cast also includes Richard Cant (Stan and Ollie) as Reverend Canon Chasuble, Amanda Lawrence (Angels in America) as Miss Prism, Hugh Skinner (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) as Jack Worthing, and Julian Bleach (The Grinning Man) as Merriman/Lane.

Completing the company are ensemble members Shereener Browne (The Effect), Jasmine Kerr (Follies), Gillian McCafferty (The Rise and Fall of Little Voice), Elliot Pritchard (Museum of Austerity) and John Vernon (Coriolanus).

The production team features set and costume designer Rae Smith, lighting designer Jon Clark, sound designer Nicola T Chang, movement director Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, composer DJ Walde, physical comedy advisor Joyce Henderson, intimacy coordinator Ingrid Mackinnon, casting directors Alastair Coomer and Chloe Blake, dialect coach Hazel Holder, voice coach Shereen Ibrahim, associate set designer Isabel Munoz-Newsome, associate costume designer Petros Kourtellaris, associate sound designer Christopher Reid, associate wigs, hair and make-up designer Adele Brandman and staff director Tanuja Amarasuriya.

The Importance of Being Earnest continues at the Lyttelton Theatre until 25 January 2025. The show is also set for a worldwide 2025 cinema release from 20 February 2025, with a list of venues available on the NTLive website.

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