Fallen Angels Revival Sparkles with Rose Byrne and Kelli O'Hara's Comic Brilliance
Noël Coward's Fallen Angels has returned to Broadway in a sparkling revival that proves the nearly century-old comedy remains as fresh and funny as ever. Directed by Scott Ellis at the Todd Haimes Theatre in New York, this production features the dynamic pairing of Oscar-nominated actor Rose Byrne and stage veteran Kelli O'Hara, whose performances have been hailed as comic gems in a pitch-perfect staging.
A Historic Comedy with Modern Appeal
First premiering in London in 1925 and making its stateside debut in 1927, Fallen Angels has appeared only twice on Broadway since its initial run. The play, which nearly faced censorship from the Lord Chamberlain's office for its sexual frankness, follows two society women who drink themselves into a stupor while waiting for an old lover to arrive during their husbands' absence. Despite its age, the production feels startlingly modern, with Ellis's direction maintaining complete faith in Coward's material while presenting it with drop-dead deluxe design elements.
The cleverness of Coward's writing lies in how it heaps reasons for distress upon the characters while slyly eviscerating bourgeois concerns. Julia (O'Hara) and Jane (Byrne) mask their raw desire with booze and civility, worrying that the fire has gone from their perfectly happy marriages even as they secretly hope to be caught casually unaware by their former beau.
Star Performances That Captivate
Rose Byrne and Kelli O'Hara bring elastic, compulsively watchable talent to their roles, with their unexpected pairing serving their dynamic perfectly. Byrne's knack for bawdiness and O'Hara's born gentility swirl together to intoxicating effect as their characters goad each other's worst impulses until they come into conflict with themselves.
O'Hara, an ascendant grande dame of period pieces from television's The Gilded Age to opera's The Hours and musical theater's Days of Wine and Roses, swishes Coward's highborn language like a favorite chablis while demonstrating surprising physical comedy chops, falling over furniture and going full Mommie Dearest the morning after.
In her second Broadway outing, Byrne takes a bit longer to settle into her character but truly shines once her Jane is nice and toasted, sneaking sips from Julia's glass and managing to proclaim "how dare you!" in a haughty, one-syllable hiss. As she's displayed throughout her career, right up to her first Oscar nomination this year, she remains a constantly surprising actor.
Supporting Cast and Production Excellence
The supporting cast adds depth to the production, with Aasif Mandvi as Julia's husband longing for the simplicity of Victorian women, Christopher Fitzgerald as Jane's finely hammy husband, and Tracee Chimo as the comically overqualified maid who seems to have played around in every greener pasture. Mark Consuelos appears in what is essentially a cameo as the former beau who proves truly irresistible.
David Rockwell's lavish art deco set earns its curtain-raising applause, while Jeff Mahshie's costumes, topped off by David Brian Brown and Victoria Tinsman's wigs, are equally exquisite. One of the hairpieces even becomes one of the production's biggest laughs.
A Timeless Celebration of Instinct
Ellis wisely avoids condescending to contemporary sensibilities or exploiting the play's progressive streak for relevance. Instead, he trusts that the century-old material holds up marvelously on its own terms. The result is a champagne cocktail of a revival that doesn't waste a drop of opportunity for drunken laughs while celebrating Coward's roguish nudge that we follow our instincts.
With its perfect combination of complete faith in the material, luxurious design, and the sugar-and-bubbles pairing of its two leads, this Fallen Angels revival proves that some comedies only improve with age, sparkling like the finest champagne nearly a century after their creation.
