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★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“A mesmerising one-man journey through Oscar Wilde’s brilliant life and works”
Broadway World

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“phenomenal to watch”
Theatre & Tonic

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Alastair Whatley commands the stage”
Theatre Weekly

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“An elegant and electrifying revival”
The Spy in the Stalls

TOUR DATES 2026

  • Floral Pavilion, New Brighton

    30 Apr - 2 May

  • Chipping Norton Theatre

    12 - 13 May

  • Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

    15 - 16 May

  • Newbury Corn Exchange

    2 - 3 June

  • Lichfield Garrick

    4 - 5 June

  • Theatre Royal Wakefield

    9 - 10 June

  • New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich

    12 - 13 June

  • Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne

    16 - 17 June

  • Theatre Royal Winchester

    23 - 24 June

  • Malvern Theatre

    1 - 3 July

  • Darlington Hippodrome

    14 - 16 July

  • Park Theatre, London

    22 July - 22 August

Original Theatre and Reading Rep Theatre Present

The Importance of Being Oscar

By Micheál Mac Liammóir
Starring Alastair Whatley
Directed by Michael Fentiman

“A beautiful production - intimate and utterly compelling”
Gyles Brandreth

Oscar Wilde became an icon on his death. 
But the life he lived was far more dramatic than anything he ever wrote.

This funny and fiercely moving show, features a tour de force central performance from Alastair Whatley, hailed as ★★★★★ "truly magnificent…phenomenal to watch” (Theatre and Tonic). 

Oscar, his rise and fall, his glory and his devastation, is conjured back to life through his own words and those of his fiercest champion, the fabled Irish writer Micheál Mac Liammóir.  

We meet the man who lived and loved without compromise, whilst creating some of the most famous – and famously funny – plays still adored by millions today. 

Experience Oscar as you’ve never seen him before – real, raw, defiant. 

This legendary play helped redefine our attitudes and appreciation of a man whose life became his work of art, and is returning for a limited UK tour ahead of a London run. 

Directed by Michael Fentiman (Amelie, Jekyll & Hyde, Lion Witch & Wardrobe) and produced by the Olivier nominated Original Theatre (Being Mr Wickham, The Interview, Birdsong).