Oscar Wilde’s audaciously satirical play The Importance of Being Earnest transcended its time with its sharp critique of the social and sexual conventions of Victorian society. First performed in 1895, the play’s subtle exploration of homoerotic desire, a reflection of the playwright himself, has been brought to the forefront in Max Webster’s 2024 revival. Set in a sleek, stylised 1970s world, the adaptation is infused with queer sensibility, flamboyant design, and playful modernity that not only honours but elevates Wilde’s wit and subversion.
Webster reimagines the characters through a queer and avant-garde style. Ncuti Gatwa opens the production as Algernon, playing a Lady Gaga song on a piano in a hot pink gown. It’s sultry, it’s sexy, and it’s flamboyant, much like him. The character’s alter ego “Bunbury,” a fictitious invalid used to escape social obligations, becomes a joyful metaphor for sexual fluidity, bringing a rebellious and charming energy to Algernon.
Hugh Skinner’s Jack is played with a mix of vulnerability and wit. As he navigates his double life (Jack in the country, ‘Ernest’ in the city), Skinner imbues the character with the quiet ache expected of a closeted gay man. His comedic timing and physical comedy are perfect, but it’s the underlying longing that gives the performance texture. Jack is more than just a man lying to win a woman’s affection; he’s fumbling toward self-understanding, deceiving everyone around him to get there.
Webster’s direction walks a tightrope between faithful homage and inventive reinterpretation. Rae Smith’s costume design fuses Victorian silhouettes with Caribbean flair, celebrating cultural hybridity. This play is fluid in more ways than one.
The revolving set mirrors the characters’ spinning lies and identities, making the production feel both timeless and disorientingly modern. Pop culture references, like Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, give the show a Bridgerton-esque vibe: an unexpected blend of old English dialogue and modern music that reminded me I’m in a Newtown Dendy’s in 2025.
Importantly, these modern touches never overshadow Wilde’s original dialogue. Lines like Lady Bracknell’s deadpan, “divorce is the one thing that can never be too expensive,” still land with precision, poking fun at the transactional nature of marriage among the upper class. The physical comedy is restrained and purposeful, never veering into farce, which keeps the spotlight on Wilde’s absurd logic of high society.
Sharon D Clarke’s Lady Bracknell is a standout. Draped in extravagant gowns and exuding gravitas, she delivers Wilde’s most iconic lines with a commanding presence. Her Bracknell is not just a snob; she’s a matriarch with Caribbean heritage, adding a cultural layer that deepens her critique of class hypocrisy. Her monologue drew immense applause, a testament to Clarke’s magnetism and comedic timing.
Lady Bracknell’s daughter Gwendolyn, played by Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo’s, brings a mischievous energy to the play, her chemistry with Jack whimsical and playful. Eliza Scanlen’s Cecily is equally enchanting, her courtship with Algernon unfolding with schoolgirl excitement. Each relationship is rendered with joyful rebellion, partly because Algernon and Ernest clearly should not be with women but with each other, and partly because the characters are like cheeky children skipping through the absurdities of the class system. The audience watches as they unknowingly critique the very social structures they are bound by.
Same-sex kisses between characters, while perhaps expected in modern reinterpretations, still carry an electric charge. They make explicit what Wilde only implied, transforming subtext into celebration without ever feeling forced. In doing so, Webster’s adaptation shows how contemporary queerness can illuminate the very essence of Wilde’s original vision.
Max Webster’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a vibrant celebration of Wilde’s genius. It breathes new life into a canonical work, uplifted by a talented cast and supported by layered direction. With its sharp blend of pop music, period aesthetic, and queered sensibility, it’s important in life to remain earnest — and to watch Earnest.
