Ncuti Gatwa's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' to Stream Free on YouTube
National Theatre at Home brings back "Take Your Seats," with Gatwa's 'The Importance of Being Earnest' streaming free on YouTube.
Attention theater lovers, the National Theatre is offering up the chance to stream one of its buzziest recent productions online — for free. Its recent staging of Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy of manners, The Importance of Being Earnest, will be available on YouTube for one week only for everyone in the world.
Max Webster’s production was a sold-out hit during its London run in late 2024, racking up glowing reviews that praised its colorful staging, chaotically camp vibes, and big-time queer energy. (Which, you know, for a Wilde play is saying a lot.)
It stars Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who) as Algernon Moncrief and Hugh Skinner (Fleabag) as his friend Jack Worthing, a pair of wisecracking bachelors who get into exceptionally complicated schemes together, involving everything from using fake identities to inventing nonexistent friends to impress women. Or at least maintain the facade of being interested in women. (See also: Big queer energy.)
The play will stream on YouTube as part of Take Your Seats, the weeklong streaming initiative from subscription service National Theatre at Home, which promotes access to world-class theater for free.
Here’s the National Theatre’s synopsis.
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.
Gatwa and Skinner are joined by Sharon D. Clarke (Inspector Ellis) as the indomitable Lady Bracknell, Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ (Rain Dogs) as her daughter Gwendolen Fairfax, and Eliza Scanlen (Dope Girls) as Jack’s ward Cecily Cardew. Julian Bleach (The English) plays both Lane and Merriman, Richard Cant (It’s A Sin) is Reverend Canon Chasuble, and Amanda Lawrence (The Devil’s Hour) is Miss Prism.
The staging features Rae Smith’s set and costume design, Jon Clark’s lighting design, Nicola T. Chang’s sound design, DJ Walde’s music, Adele Brandman’s hair and makeup design, and Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s movement direction.
The Importance of Being Earnest will be available to stream worldwide on YouTube beginning on Thursday, March 12, with a special watch-along premiere event that night at 7 p.m. GMT. The play will be available for free for a week before moving to National Theatre at Home on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
Set a Reminder to Watch 'The Importance of Being Earnest'
