Review of Fallen Angels on Broadway

If you’re new here, and stumbled upon this blog through the mythical powers of the Internet, welcome! I know a lot of visitors to my website are people who randomly come upon this website through search engines like Google, but I also do have a lot of visitors who come back. Regardless: my name is Ashley, and I started this blog in order to keep track of everything I’m coming across in the world.

I used to live in New York City when I went to college, as I attended the Fashion Institute of Technology for my undergraduate degrees, but when I left the city because of the COVID-19 pandemic and never really returned, I knew that I was regretting my time in college not taking advantage of student deals for Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.

Granted, I had never been exposed to that kind of environment, or theatre at all, so when I started working in New York theatre and spent some time in that world, I jumped back into it. This blog has been a way to document my journey as a theatre lover and watcher, especially considering I don’t like to do short-form video. Written criticism has always been my thing more.

Today’s post stems from a trip I’ve just completed to New York (after the time of typing of this). It started when I purchased tickets to Jesa at the Public Theater, then when I secured a place to stay, I purchased more tickets to Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York and Fallen Angels.

Originally I was going to see Antigone at the Public, but some early negative feedback led me to want to see Fallen Angels with that money instead. I sat in Orchestra Row N, on one of the seats on the far right side of the house, and it was the perfect view. I honestly haven’t had a bad seat in this theater out of the many shows I’ve seen here.

Please note that this is a review from the third preview of Fallen Angels; previews are when things can change and actors are finding their groove in front of a live audience. Things can change, and keep an eye out for official publication reviews once opening night hits.

Let’s get into the review!

In 1920s London, two women wistfully recall their shared past with a Frenchman as they confront their failed marriages.

Before we get into the weeds of this review, I want to note that I was unfamiliar with this play before going into it. It is a clean ninety minutes (I was heading out of the theater at 9:38 PM) and there is no intermission. It goes by very quickly—I was shocked when it ended even though I knew it was a short play.

This is a Noël Coward play and definitely scandalous for the time it was written and originally produced (the 1920s), but for modern audiences it’s more like a raunchy fun night out. Set in the 1920s, the majority of the play takes place in a London apartment of the wealthy Sterolls.

The play opens with Julia telling her husband, Francis, that she’s dissatisfied with their marriage. He kind of doesn’t take her seriously, then goes out golfing with his buddy Willy. Willy’s wife, Jane, bursts into Julia’s apartment with news to share: Maurice is in town.

Maurice is a Frenchman who they both have an intimate connection with, which is what makes this play scandalous. Both women have slept with him before getting married, but at different times, and their husbands have no idea they weren’t “pure” before the marriage.

Now both Julia and Jane are unhappy with their marriages, as they no longer feel the spark of passion and love that drove them to continue onwards. A chunk of the play is their wistful thinking about Maurice coming into town and whisking either of them away, which sparks a bit of a jealous streak.

The only other character in the play is Julia’s maid, Saunders, and she serves as further comedic relief. She has a quite complex backstory that continues to evolve throughout the course of the play—but it also generates quite a few laughs.

This comedy was raunchy, but a lot of fun. I found the stars of this production to truly be the women. Everyone does an excellent job overall, but Kelli O’Hara, Rose Byrne, and Tracee Chimo are what takes this play to an entire new level of comedy. Rose and Kelly especially blew me away with how funny they were in these roles, with a special shoutout going to their physicality.

Overall Thoughts

I came into this play really interested in its content and how controversial it was during its original run, which I could see even from a modern perspective that context. Set design really immerses you in the world of upper class London at that time, with the flat and its many indulgences coming alive on the stage (fake rain included).

My main complaint with this production though is simply how short the play is. We can’t fix the length of the original play (unless you want to cut scenes), but I was shocked at how abruptly it cuts off. It makes sense to end where it does, but I was very immersed in the world of the play and it felt sudden to me. I wanted more from it.

All in all, despite that, this is a well-written play and an excellent production. If you’re thinking about catching this limited run and want a fun night out at the show, this is a good ticket to purchase! I laughed quite a bit, and considering I knew very little coming into this, I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this show!

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