Oscar Wilde’s best-known comedy of Victorian London manners receives a modern makeover via a modern Yorkshire council estate. Th’Importance of Bein’ Earnest premieres next month for a limited fringe season. Time to get booking!
Th’Importance of Bein’ Earnest, with its regional, working-class take on Wilde’s 1895 classic, runs at London’s Drayton Arms Theatre from 5 to 23 February 2019, with a press night on 7 February.
Jack loves Gwendolen, Gwendolen loves Ernest, Algy loves Cecily, Cecily loves Ernest, Gwendolen’s Ernest is Jack, Cecily’s Ernest is Algy and who on Earth is Burnbury!?
LKT Productions’ vivid reimagining of everyone’s favourite classic comedy relocates the action from Victorian London to a Yorkshire Council estate. The muscularity of the Yorkshire accent breathes new life into those famous lines and the reconfigured social structure offers a brand-new examination of class.
Gone are the starched collars and cups of tea, in are the Leeds United football shirts and cans of Stella. Oscar Wilde meets Shameless in this exciting new production.
Th’Importance of Bein’ Earnest cast
Toby Hampton co-directs with Luke Adamson, who will also play Algernon. Last year Adamson was nominated for Best Male Performance at the Off West End Awards and Best Male Stage Performance at the Break A Leg Awards for his performance as Joe in Rabbitskin as part of Odd Man Out at The Hope Theatre and for Best Supporting Male at The Great British Pantomime Awards for his performance in Jack and the Beanstalk at York Theatre Royal.
The show is produced by LKT Productions, a new company founded by Adamson and Hampton along with Kennedy Bloomer. LKT’s first production Oh No It Isn’t – which was penned by Adamson and directed by Bloomer and Hampton – received rave reviews following its short run at The Hope Theatre.
Adamson is joined in the cast of Th’Importance of Bein’ Earnest by Heather Dutton (Treasure Island, The National Theatre), Janna Fox (The Merchant of Venice, Duke of York’s Theatre), Rob Pomfret (Off West End Award nomination for his performance in Kes, Brockley Jack Theatre), James King (Foul Pages, The Hope Theatre), Millie Gaston and Joshua Welch.
The production has set and costume design by Rachael Ryan and lighting design by Frank Turnball.
