ANGELS AT Altarena Playhouse
Photo Credit: Grizzly De Haro
Altarena Playhouse brings Noël Coward’s FALLEN ANGELS to life with wit and charm. When the sardonic writing of a genius playwright meets the witty interpretation of a theater, it produces a night full of laughs and insights. Coward challenges society’s notions of women’s roles and the double standards they face. And Atlarena Playhouse makes sure you have a grand time while poking fun at society’s antiquated conventions.
FALLEN ANGELS is a lesser known work of the genius, but controversial playwright, Noël Coward. He penned the play in 1923 at the ripe old age of twenty-four. The shifting morals of the Jazz Age in a post-war Britain eager for entertainment, created a space that Noël Coward rapidly filled with his witty dialogue that pushed the boundaries of acceptable behavior. In FALLEN ANGELS we meet two women, Julie and Jane, who are best friends, with an alarming secret. They both had a wild affair with a dashing Frenchman while in Italy before they were married. We find them several years later, settled into married life, and a bit bored with their proper lives as their husbands are away golfing for the weekend. When they receive word of the imminent arrival of their former lover, Maurice, they are thrown into great excitement as their imaginations take over. After considering a multitude of plans, they decide to stay and meet Maurice. The champagne flows freely as they wait for his arrival. Their tongues, loosened by alcohol, make for mischief as they deal with their jealousy of each other, Maurice, and the early return of their husbands, Fred and Willy. But who will get the last laugh is up in the air.
Joshua Roberts as Fred Sterroll and Dan Allan as Willy Banbury are the affable husbands who are equal measures clueless, jealous, offended, and protective when it comes to their wives. They are led about and reactive rather than proactive just as Coward intended. Marcel Degas gives a charming performance as the suave Maurice Declos. His sparkling eyes and winsome smile (along with a spot-on French accent) leave little wonder as to why both ladies were so enamored with him. Elly Grace Hudson as the Saunders the maid provided many laughs and held the house in rapt attention during her solo of Yes, We Have No Bananas, an American song by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn that gained popularity after it topped charts for five weeks in 1923 and was introduced on Broadway by Eddie Cantor in Make It Snappy. Still, I can’t help but think there were more comedic gems yet to be mined in this role. Sarah Zehner as Jane Banbury is one part sophisticated and one part hammy, but the two parts never quite melded into one character. Her face is magnificently expressive, but I had hoped for a more blended, nuanced character. Kate Conway as Julie Sterroll is controlled and compelling. The detail in every lift of the eyebrow and side-eye makes each line delivery intentional and land with impact. Everything she does hits and fits perfectly into the Cowardesque world. She captures the art of being massively funny without ever appearing to try to be funny. Her scene at the piano with Saunders was an absolute riot.
The set design by Katine Psihos is lush and detailed. I love the immersive effect of the wall treatments continuing around the theater and behind the audience. Property Designer, Jenna Forder, hits all the marks with this period piece, and gets props (see what I did there?) for the food and drinks used throughout the show where the real and fake blended seamlessly. The wig and hair design by Jeremy Letheule is a bit of a mix. Julia’s wig is a beautiful bob, but Saunders is in a longer wig which would have been improper for English maids of that time period. While younger maids may have foregone the cap or headband, they would have still worn their hair pulled back, up, and out of the way. Equally, costumer Ava Byrd has some hits and misses. Saunders Act I suit is again out of place for a maid, but her Act II dress is spot on. Byrd does hit some high notes, especially with Julia’s lovely black and gold evening dress and the men’s golfing outfits. Despite the few hiccups, the overall asthetic is divine and transports the audience to an age of abundance and frivolity.
FALLEN ANGELS is a reminder that once the mere idea of women’s desires was considered scandalous. While men were allowed and even encouraged to sew their wild oats, respectable women were meant to be chaste and proper in both thoughts and actions. Coward challenges society’s notions and shows how infinitely more interesting women are when allowed the full range of human emotion and experience. The show begs the question if Noël Coward would have been surprised over how much or how little things have changed in the past one hundred years. For more information or tickets, visit www.altarentaplayhouse.org.
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