Latest Reviews from London
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“This one-man show turns Oscar Wilde back into a human being and makes his dialogue sing”
The Sunday Times
★ ★ ★ ★
“It's hard not to be moved by Whatley's impressively credible and understated performance.”
Camden New Journal
★ ★ ★ ★
“Whatley's rapt and moving performance lends a depth and complexity to Wilde that is often lost in the supine hero worship of others.”
The Daily Mail
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“His character transitions are effortless, and his command of both Wilde’s sparkling wit and his heartbreaking vulnerability is extraordinary.”
LondonTheatre1
TOUR DATES 2026/27
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Park Theatre, London
Continues until 22 August
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Reading Rep Theatre
2 - 14 February 2027
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).