October 21, 2026
FILM: FALLEN ANGELS
DIRECTED BY: SCOTT ELLIS, ANNETTE JOLLES
WRITTEN BY: NOEL COWARD, CLAUDIA SHEAR
STARRING: ROSE BYRNE, KELLI O’HARA, TRACEE CHIMO
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
I’ve not written about a lot of these filmed Broadway shows and I’m not sure why. For twenty years, my husband Frank and I taught a course in which we took a group of students (mostly adults) to New York to catch the latest productions. We saw a lot of great shows over the years (Personal favorites included The Who’s Tommy, Come From Away, Passing Strange, The Wild Party, several of Martin McDonagh’s plays, etc.) but we’ve been missing the boat on some of those that are filmed, get a brief theatrical run, and then end up on Netflix or at least Broadway.com. (Merrily We Roll Along with Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe was the most recent and that one is highly worth seeing until Richard Linklater’s own adaptation gets a release in a decade or so…)
The latest is a show called Fallen Angels written by Noel Coward and Claudia Shear. We were not familiar with this one but it received five Tony nominations earlier this year. Coward wrote the original in 1923 and it debuted on London’s West End at the Globe Theater two years later starring Tallulah Bankhead and Edna Best. The 2026 production was condensed from its original three-act structure by Shear into a 90-minute one act play starring Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara and it is one laugh riot. The plot essentially concerns two long-time friends who get drunk while anxiously awaiting the arrival of a French man they both supposedly had affairs with in the past. As the evening (and play) goes on, the women continue to drink until they are both falling over. To watch these two great actors dive into the roles so fearlessly is an incredible treat!
Because this is a filmed version of the show everything takes place on stage but is set in a lavish, art deco apartment. The sophisticated design is beautifully contrasted with the witty dialogue and physical humor, including a couple of hilarious prat falls. We watch these two women descend into comical madness as their own husbands are away at a golf outing. Meanwhile, Julia, O’Hara’s character, has recently hired a new house servant. She’s played by Tracee Chimo who initially feels quite over-the-top in the role. She’s too loud, brash, and broad. However, this pales in comparison with the direction taken by Byrne and O’Hara. They play up the comedy for all its worth and it really does work, including hilarious scenes in which they take hits from long cigarette holders. Both are skilled comediennes (O’Hara has mostly been known for her musical roles but she nails the part of Julia) and play up the laughs that could have been ignored moments using old-time props. They were each nominated for Tony’s for Best Actress in a Play but ended up losing to Lesley Manville for her acclaimed role in Oedipus.
It’s great to see a production like this filmed in front of an audience. One gets the natural reactions as they are occurring (as opposed to old TV school canned laughter.) The show though becomes more intimate thanks to the camera work. While wide shots capture the opulent set, varying angles and medium shots bring us right into the room making us feel like we are there with them getting drunk.
The show also makes some biting observations about long-term relationships where love and passion have fallen away. When we finally meet their famed Frenchman, Maurice Duclos, played by Mark Consuelos, we get why they’ve been swooning over the thought of him for an entire evening.
Fallen Angels offers a great night of filmed theater at your local movie complex beginning October 22nd. The run is limited so enjoy the experience while you can.