National Theatre Live: The Importance of Being EarnestPG

Directed by Max Webster | UK | 2025 | 2h 50m | Starring Sharon D Clarke, Ncuti Gatwa, Hugh Skinner, Amanda Lawrence, Shereener Browne.

Three-time Olivier Award-winner Sharon D Clarke is joined by Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who; Sex Education) in this joyful reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated comedy. While assuming the role of a dutiful guardian in the country, Jack lets loose in town under a false identity. Meanwhile, his friend Algy adopts a similar facade. Hoping to impress two eligible ladies, the gentlemen find themselves caught in a web of lies they must carefully navigate. Max Webster (Life of Pi) directs this hilarious story of identity, impersonation and romance, filmed live from the National Theatre in London.

National Theatre Live

Reviews

‘A flawless piece of comic theatre’
★★★★★
Cindy Marcolina, Broadway World

‘Ncuti Gatwa leads a Wilde party of irresistible anarchic charm’
★★★★
Arifa Akbar, The Guardian

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed National Theatre Live: The Importance of Being Earnest between March 2, 2025 and March 6, 2025.

Join our mailing list and we'll make sure you always know what's on and when.

What else is on?

Today (Wednesday 20th May)
Find out more

17:45

Rose of Nevada 15
1h 54m
When a long-lost fishing boat returns to a Cornish village, hope rises for renewal. Nick and newcomer Liam join a voyage, but return transformed and caught in a haunting time loop. Shot on grainy 16mm, Mark Jenkin (Bait) delivers a haunting, mind-bending folktale.

Book here

Find out more

20:30

Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? 18
1h 42m | French w/ English subtitles
Director's Cuts: Peter Strickland
Supermodel Polly Maggoo navigates relentless media attention as a documentary crew attempts to capture her life. William Klein’s witty satire dismantles fashion and fame, revealing an absurd world where modern identity is constructed, consumed, and endlessly performed.

Book here


Tomorrow (Thursday 21st May)
Find out more

15:15

Rose of Nevada 15
Descriptive Subtitles
1h 54m
When a long-lost fishing boat returns to a Cornish village, hope rises for renewal. Nick and newcomer Liam join a voyage, but return transformed and caught in a haunting time loop. Shot on grainy 16mm, Mark Jenkin (Bait) delivers a haunting, mind-bending folktale.

Book here

Find out more

18:00

Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? 18
1h 42m | French w/ English subtitles
Director's Cuts: Peter Strickland
Supermodel Polly Maggoo navigates relentless media attention as a documentary crew attempts to capture her life. William Klein’s witty satire dismantles fashion and fame, revealing an absurd world where modern identity is constructed, consumed, and endlessly performed.

Book here

Find out more

20:30

Colours of Time 15
2h 6m | French w/ English subtitles
When cousins inherit a Normandy house, they uncover a hidden lineage linking them to ancestor Adèle Munier. As they retrace her journey to Paris amid Impressionism’s rise, past and present intertwine, revealing new identities and unexpected connections across generations.

Book here


See all upcoming films

Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!

Find out more