The Importance of Being Hogey

Richard O'Callaghan starring in classic stage comedy.

26 June, 2015

Outside the realm of standup, it's rare to get an opportunity to see a member of the Red Dwarf cast performing on stage - but that's about to change, thanks to a new theatre production that's going to be running in London's West End for much of the remainder of this year.

The Importance of Being Earnest is the classic farce of manners by Oscar Wilde (the man you might recall as being the creator of witticisms not quite as sharp as the Cat's suits, even when rolled up into a point, sprinkled with lemon juice and jabbed into someone's eye), and tells the story of two friends, both of whom may or may not be called Ernest, and their identity-confusing attempts to woo their respective sweethearts. It's rarely away from the stage for long, and a new production has just got underway at London's Vaudeville Theatre.

The headline piece of casting in this adaptation is the fact that Poirot actor David Suchet will be, rather unusually, playing the role of feared matriarch Lady Bracknell (she of the famous "A handbag?" line); but for Red Dwarf fans, it's elsewhere in the cast list that we find interest: as our very own Hogey the Roguey, Richard O'Callaghan, is playing the role of Reverend Canon Chasuble. It's actually the second time he's played the character, as he also did so in a London open air production back in 2009 (the same year, of course, that we saw him in his first Red Dwarf role as the Creator in Back to Earth).

Tickets for the production start at £25, and go all the way up to £67.50 if you absolutely have to have the best seats. The show's run has just begun this week, and it's playing until 7th November 2015 - so there's plenty of time to get along and see a truly great legend of the stage do his thing. And we understand that Suchet fellow isn't half bad, either...

Find out more and book your tickets at the Importance of Being Earnest website!