A theatrical production honouring Oscar Wilde’s life and work is set to premiere in Eastbourne.
The Importance of Being Oscar, penned by Micheál Mac Liammóir, will be performed at the Devonshire Park Theatre as part of its 2026 nationwide tour, with shows scheduled for Tuesday, June 16 and Wednesday, June 17.
The production comes from Original Theatre and Reading Rep Theatre, with Michael Fentiman directing and Alastair Whatley, who serves as Artistic Director of Original Theatre, taking the lead role.
Tickets for the Eastbourne performances can be purchased through trafalgartickets.com/eastbourne-theatres-eastbourne/en-GB/event/play/the-importance-of-being-oscar-tickets.
Mr Fentiman commented that he was pleased Original Theatre would be bringing their staging of The Importance of Being Oscar on the road. He noted that Alastair delivered something truly special in the piece and that it was gratifying more audiences would have the opportunity to experience his performance. He added that revisiting the darker aspects of Oscar’s brilliance alongside his tragic circumstances would be immensely rewarding.
This solo performance charts Oscar Wilde’s trajectory from worldwide recognition through to his personal collapse and incarceration.
The production incorporates his wit, insight and literary prowess by drawing on passages from his most renowned works, such as An Ideal Husband, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Ballad of Reading of Gaol.
Following a successful engagement at Reading Rep Theatre in 2024, the show went on to achieve critical praise and complete sell-out performances during a London season at Jermyn Street Theatre in 2025.
The tour will conclude with a four-week season at Park Theatre in London from July 22 through August 22, 2026.
The performance has a duration of 90 minutes and carries an age recommendation of 12 and above.
The staging features subtle haze, darkness sequences and a single momentary light effect pointed toward spectators.
The design team comprises set and costume designer Madeleine Girling, lighting designer Chris Davey and composer and sound designer Barnaby Race.
Mr Whatley’s comeback to acting comes after a seven-year hiatus from the stage.
His past theatre work includes Birdsong, The Importance of Being Earnest, Three Men in a Boat, See How They Run, Twelfth Night and Vincent in Brixton.