Stephen Fry to Don Drag as Lady Bracknell in London Revival of The Importance of Being Earnest

British actor Stephen Fry is set to play the dour and disapproving Lady Bracknell in a London revival of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, according to The Daily Mail. The production will play the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in the fall of 2014.

Wilde’s comedic masterpiece tells the tale of two dashing men-about town who pursue a pair of fair ladies, Gwendolen and Cecily, despite having to deal with imaginary characters both men have invented in addition to Gwendolen’s formidable mother, Lady Bracknell.

Fry follows in the foot steps of other male actors who have donned the Victorian garb of Bracknell, including Geoffrey Rush (in an Australian production) and Brian Bedford (who earned a Tony nomination for his performance in 2011.)

According to the Mail, Fry’s Lady Bracknell will be “a little bit of Alastair Sim’s Miss Fritton, clutching pearls, with a mixture of Stanley Baxter’s Duchess of Brenda.”

Fry is a six-time BAFTA nominee known primarily for his film and television work, including QI, A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Kingdom, Blackadder, Jeeves and Wooster and This Is David Lander. Fry also portrayed Oscar Wilde in the acclaimed 1997 movie Wilde.