Tour Dates Set for THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING OSCAR Starring Alastair Whatley
The Importance of Being Oscar will play Floral Pavillion, New Brighton; The Theatre Chipping Norton and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Feb. 02, 2026
Following a London run in 2025, co-producers Original Theatre and Reading Rep Theatre will present a Spring/Summer 2026 tour of Micheál Mac Liammóir’s The Importance of Being Oscar, directed by Michael Fentiman (Amelie, Jekyll & Hyde, The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe) and starring Original Theatre’s Artistic Director Alastair Whatley.
The Importance of Being Oscar will play Floral Pavillion, New Brighton (30 April-2 May), The Theatre Chipping Norton (12-13 May), Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford (15-16 May), Newbury Corn Exchange (2-3 June), Lichfield Garrick Theatre (4-5 June), Theatre Royal Wakefield (9-10 June), New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich (12-13 June), Malvern Theatres (1-3 July) and Darlington Hippodrome (14-16 July). Further dates are to be announced.
Oscar Wilde was a dandy of speech, a dandy of manner, a dandy of dress, and a dandy, even, of ideas and intellect. He fell in love with eccentric socialites, travelled to America with nothing to declare except his genius, and found worldwide success as a playwright. This is the story of how his life of fame, glamour, and romance led him to become an imprisoned outcast.
The Importance of Being Oscar immerses audiences in a compelling journey through the loves and losses, successes and struggles of the man. It is a beautiful tribute to an icon of the world of theatre, liberally laced with Wilde's signature wit and wisdom and featuring excerpts of many of his best-loved works including An Ideal Husband, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Ballad of Reading of Gaol.
The one-man show’s run at Reading Rep Theatre in 2024 and subsequent Jermyn Street Theatre dates marked Alastair’s return to the stage, with Alastair having last performed in 2017 in the New York transfer of Original Theatre’s production of Torben Betts’ Invincible. Alastair’s other acting credits include Birdsong, The Importance of Being Earnest, Three Men in a Boat, See How They Run, Twelfth Night, Vincent in Brixton, Dancing at Lughnasa and Henry V (RSC).
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