When Fallen Angels played on Broadway this past spring, it was the champagne toast of the town, receiving rave reviews and selling out at the Todd Haimes Theatre. Not to mention its four Tony Award nominations, including two for lead actresses Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara.
If you missed this sparkling delight of a play, don’t worry. Fallen Angels was filmed on Broadway, and the live stage capture will play movie theatres beginning October 22, courtesy of Trafalgar Releasing.
Playbill has seen the film. On the screen, the Noël Coward comedy remains laugh-out-loud funny, especially with the benefits of close-ups—letting audiences have a front-row seat for every pratfall, facial expression, and pitch-perfect line delivery. Whether you’ve never seen the Coward play or are debating seeing it again, Fallen Angels the live stage film should be experienced in movie theatres. Here are five reasons why.
Kelli O’Hara and Rose Byrne in Fallen Angels
(Evan Zimmerman)
1. The Hilarious Physical Comedy
Kelli O’Hara and Rose Byrne look like they’re having the time of their lives (so much so that O’Hara told Playbill she wanted to tour the show with Byrne in Australia). The two play longtime friends living in the 1930s, Julia (O’Hara) and Jane (Byrne), who discover that their former lover is about to come in to town—while their husbands are out of town. With each experiencing their version of the seven-year itch, this potential reunion with an old flame throws them both into a tizzy, and many, many glasses of champagne to cope.
Yes, that means the characters get very drunk, leading to moments that will have you bending forward with laughter. Tony-winning musical theatre pro O’Hara gets to show off a whole new side of herself here—it’s not just singing chops, she has physical comedy chops, as she falls off chairs and slides down them as well. In one moment, O’Hara tumbles head-first over a chaise, a feat of such athleticism, you’re amazed she can do that eight times a week without injuring herself.
Meanwhile, Byrne reminds us that yes, she won a Golden Globe for a dramatic performance, but she is a comedy veteran—very few actors can turn a scarf or a tangled wig into a physical comedy bit. Byrne’s Fallen Angels performance shows why we all become obsessed with her after Bridesmaids. The onstage hijinks reach such a pitch that at one point, O’Hara breaks character ever so slightly. We won’t tell you where, you’ll just have to watch the Fallen Angels film.
2. That Committed Cast
It’s not just Byrne and O’Hara who give stand-out performances in Fallen Angels. The supporting cast is filled with comedy powerhouse. There’s Christopher Fitzgerald, who made audiences guffaw in Spamalot and Company, as Jane’s sweet husband Willy; and comedian and former Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi as Julia’s slightly clueless husband Fred; and Mark Consuelos as the dreamy former lover Maurice Duclos.
A particular highlight is Tracee Chimo (Bad Jews, Noises Off), who steals the scene as the outspoken maid Saunders. On the screen, one can truly see, in the side-eyes that Saunders gives to Julia and Jane, this maid knows more than she lets on.
When it comes to comedy, every beat needs to be precise in order for the laugh to land, and with the Fallen Angels cast, the audience is in expert hands.
Kelli O’Hara, Mark Consuelos, and Rose Byrne in Fallen Angels
(Joan Marcus)
3. Gowns! Beautiful Gowns!
Jeff Mahshie‘s costumes for Fallen Angels won a Tony Award and for good reason. For fans of 1930s-era shows such as The Great Gatsby or Downton Abbey, Mahshie’s costumes are a visual feast. And the Fallen Angels film revels in every luxurious detail, from the swoon-worthy floral dressing gown with matching top that O’Hara wears at the top of the show, to the green silk evening dress held up with emerald clasps that ripples and moves on Byrne like floating water. Julia and Jane are wealthy women in the play, and Mahshie makes his lead actors look like a million dollars.
Wigs are also an essential part of costuming, and Byrne’s wig in the latter half of the play is a character all by itself. Its reveal inspired cackles live in the theatre, and it will no doubt inspire similar reactions in cinemas—maybe even more so because close up, audiences can really appreciate it in its tangled gravity-defying glory.
4. The Ravishing Details
When you’re in a theatre, especially sitting a few rows back, it can be difficult to discern facial expressions and easy to miss crucial character beats. That’s not the case when viewing the Fallen Angels film, which truly gives you an intimate look inside Julia’s lavish Art Deco apartment—you can even hear the clink of the real glass champagne coupes!
You can also appreciate the actors’ facial reactions, where the broad comedy allows for performances that can play in a Broadway theatre and be inviting when captured by a film camera. When Rose Byrne exclaims, “Don’t be so melodramatic!” one can see the teeniest glimpse of glee in her face, as she drops character briefly, smiling and wiping her mascara-stained face. The Fallen Angels stage film gives viewers a first-row seat to the action, letting us take in every ravishing detail of the play.
Christopher Fitzgerald, Mark Consuelos, and Aasif Mandvi in Fallen Angels
(Joan Marcus)
5. The Modern Observations About Marriage
When one thinks revival of a play, the assumption is it’s going to be old-fashioned, something to laugh politely at. But this production of Fallen Angels invites audiences to laugh loudly, while showing how modern and sexy Noël Coward can be. Fallen Angels was ahead of its time, criticized by critics in 1925 as “disgusting, vile and obscene,” for portraying its female characters as people with sexual needs and a wandering eye. But for an audience seeing it 101 years later, Fallen Angels is a relatable portrayal of contemporary marriage.
Video: Rose Byrne and the Cast of Fallen Angels Discuss the Play’s Scandalous History
When Julia tells Fred, “I love you too, you’re a darling, but we’re not in love,” with a close-up as O’Hara gives a wry chuckle—viewers of the film know that this exchange between the two is setting the scene for everything that comes after. And it’s also an astute observation about what happens in long-term relationships, where people become roommates rather than lovers, and take each other for granted. Coward knew to poke fun at that trope 100 years ago.
This makes Fallen Angels must-see viewing for any long-term couple who may be getting too comfortable. So why not take a page from O’Hara and Byrne—have some oysters, champagne, and make a date night out of Fallen Angels.
