A new production of Noël Coward's provocative 1925 comedy, 'Fallen Angels', has opened at London's Menier Chocolate Factory. Directed by Christopher Luscombe and starring Janie Dee and Alexandra Gilbreath, this period revival asks what remains of a play that once scandalised interwar England with its casual discussion of sex outside marriage.
A Play That Once Shocked the Nation
When it premiered, Fallen Angels was genuinely radical. Written when Coward was just 25 and riding a wave of success, the play followed his breakthrough work, The Vortex, which had tackled drug abuse and hinted at homosexuality. Fallen Angels turned its gaze on female desire and infidelity, depicting two middle-class women awaiting the arrival of a former lover with an insouciance that rattled the stiff upper lips of the era.
In 2025, a century later, the play's revolutionary edge has inevitably dulled. This straight-down-the-line period revival presents it as what it now is: a nicely crafted, old-fashioned pleasure. The plot follows best friends Julia (Janie Dee), who is posh and poised, and Jane (Alexandra Gilbreath), who is posh and shambolic. While their husbands are away golfing, they learn that Maurice, a charismatic Frenchman they both had affairs with before marriage, is in London and plans to visit.
A Slick but Conservative Revival
Panicked and tempted, the pair descend into heavy drinking and hysterics, questioning their stagnant marriages. Director Christopher Luscombe wrings every drop of innuendo from the script, perhaps more boldly than would have been allowed in 1925. Gilbreath's delightfully dishevelled performance as Jane feels like the most modern element on stage.
The production is slick and enjoyable, allowing audiences to appreciate the blueprint Coward created for a century of stories about snarky, middle-aged women, from All About Eve to Absolutely Fabulous. It is fun to watch the friendship fray during the crisis. However, the humour that now stands out most starkly is the 'servants, right?' comedy, embodied by Sarah Twomey's able performance as the overfamiliar maid, Saunders. Today, it's easier to see Coward's class snobbery than his groundbreaking treatment of female sexuality.
Verdict: A Museum Piece with Charm
Fallen Angels ultimately falls into the category of art that changed the world and, in doing so, lost its power to shock. Luscombe's production makes no attempt to modernise or re-contextualise the play for a contemporary audience. It is a genteel museum piece, presented with competence and charm. The play feels behind its time, and this revival is not bothered with playing catch-up. It remains an amusing, well-acted night out, but one that serves as a historical curio rather than a living, breathing piece of theatre.
The production runs at the Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark Street, London SE1 1RU, from 3 December 2025 until 21 February 2026. Performances are at various times, with tickets priced between £35.25 and £53.75. The running time is approximately two hours. The nearest Tube station is London Bridge.
