NIGEL Havers, Sian Phillips and Christine Kavanagh are to reprise their West End roles in The Importance Of Being Earnest when Oscar Wilde's "trivial comedy for serious people" visits York on tour in the autumn.

The Grand Opera House will host the "entirely faithful but completely unique" golden-oldies production from November 17 to 21.

After playing to packed houses at the Harold Pinter Theatre last June to September, followed by a five-week tour, the Bunbury Company of Players' veteran version will take to the road again with its "extremely experienced cast of serious comedic actors".

Leading the company will be Nigel Havers as upper-class playboy Algernon Moncrieff, a role he had played more than 30 years earlier in Sir Peter Hall’s1982 National Theatre production.

Sian Phillips, last seen on a Yorkshire stage as Lady Stacpoole in Alan Bennett's People at Leeds Grand Theatre in November 2013, will play Lady Bracknell, while Christine Kavanagh will be Cecily Cardew. Further star casting is promised, so watch this space to learn who will be taking over from Martin Jarvis's John Worthing, J.P. and Cherie Lunghi's Gwendolyn Fairfax from last year's London company.

Should you somehow have escaped the much performed Earnest goings-on, Wilde elegantly lampoons the hypocrisies of Victorian high society as two bachelors, the dependable John Worthing, J.P. and the frivolous Algernon Moncrieff, feel compelled to create different identities in order to pursue two eligible ladies, Cecily Cardew and Gwendolyn Fairfax.

Misadventures inevitably ensue from their subterfuge, not least brisk brushes with the redoubtable Lady Bracknell, leading to an all-important revelation by tutor Miss Prism.

Director Lucy Bailey, designer William Dudley and novelist Simon Brett have created a new context for Wilde's1985 play, a twist that imagines the fictional Bunbury Players putting on the show, as they have done for decades. The players may be growing older and older, but they have grown into the roles, as you will discover in November.

Looking forward to the tour, Havers says: “This production is very close to my heart and we had a ball doing it in the West End last summer. I’m thrilled we get to do it all again and hope audiences in York will laugh and enjoy watching our twist on Oscar’s brilliant play as much as we enjoy performing it.”

The last Lucy Bailey production to play the Grand Opera House was Shakespeare'sThe Winter's Tale in the Royal Shakespeare Company's first visit to the theatre in March 2013. William Dudley designed that show too with its memorable giant spiralling tower and video projections.

Tickets for the 7:30pm evening performances and 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees are on sale at £10 to £37.50 on 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york