Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Kelli O’Hara and Rose Byrne strike comic gold in Roundabout’s bubbly revival of Noël Coward’s FALLEN ANGELS

• By drediman
• April 20, 2026
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Last night at Broadway’s newly refreshed Todd Haimes Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Company unveiled a rare revival of Noël Coward‘s early-career play Fallen Angels. The production, which emphatically strikes comic gold, stars the sensational paring of Kelli O’Hara and Rose Byrne as Julia and Jane, two married British women of leisure who lust after a visiting Frenchman with whom both have had an affair prior to being wed. As the anticipation of their potential lover’s personal call during their husbands’ out-of-town golf trip amps up, the drinks start flowing more freely and their repressed libidos manifest themselves in rather hilarious ways by way of desperation, jealousy, and drunken behavior. As a sort of early precursor to Sex and the City decades and decades later, Coward’s play was notorious for attracting the attention of censors, namely for its then-controversial portrayal of women admitting to having engaged in premarital sex, let alone actively meditating in pursuing adultery.

Premiering in London in 1925 (the play arrived on Broadway in 1927), Fallen Angels would yield to more sophisticated urban comedies like Private Lives and Design for Living. Thankfully, veteran director Scott Ellis does away with subtle comedy and leans in on the play as a colorful sex farce, staging a bubbly production that favors kooky physical comedy, a heightened slap-stick sensibility, and snappy pacing. Indeed, the revival has smartly opted to eschew the three-act play’s two intermissions, letting the play unspool in a single momentous 90-minute romp. Although the play’s structure and dialogue are arguably old fashioned, Ellis unlocks a fun and frivolous tongue-in-cheekness that speaks to today’s comic sensibility. Additionally, Roundabout’s production looks fabulous, thanks to David Rockwell’s meticulously-realized set design of a well-appointed upscale London flat, as well as costumer designer Jeff Mahshie’s period-perfect, slightly exaggerated costumes.

All around, the performances are inspired, particularly the women. Leading the way are O’Hara and Byrne, both of whom are clearly having a ball showcasing their considerable comedic acting chops in wonderfully complimentary performances. O’Hara has already proven her skill at comedy in such shows as Roundabout’s 2019 revival of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate! But here, as Julia, she hits the sweet spot between classy propriety — which few can do better — and bawdy humor. In the more outwardly desperate and less confident role of Jane, Byrne (already known for her work as a comic actress in films) gives a boldly unhinged performance that is delightfully rambunctious. Suffice to say, both are complete delights. As Julia’s maid Saunders, Tracee Chimo nearly steals the scene every time she steps onto the stage in a hysterically ballsy turn. The men in the cast — Christopher Fitzgerald, Aasif Mandvi, and Mark Conseulos as the two husbands and the lover, respectively — are very good, but pale in comparison to their female counterparts.

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FALLEN ANGELS
Broadway, Play
Roundabout Theatre Company at the Todd Haimes Theatre
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through June 7