First performed in 1925, Noël Coward’s outrageous comedy Fallen Angels remains one of his most amusing plays.
That first production starred Edna Best, Tallulah Bankhead, and Austin Trevor and was passed by the censors with grave reservations.
Julia (Janie Dee) and Jane (Alexander Gilbreath) have been friends since they were children.
Now married for at least a decade to men who can only be described as, well, dull, they both committed an indiscretion with the same man in Italy before they were wed.
This indiscretion, in the person of Maurice (a charismatic Frenchman) , is about to come back to bite them. They dissolve in a panic of secrets and sex.
Fallen Angels is very much a play about women and making them the focus of the plot. As well as the wives, there is an over-accomplished maid given the name of Saunders, who receives enthusiastic applause in one lovely scene of furniture rearranging.
Dee and Gilbreath are excellent as friends slowly falling into drunken hysteria and cattiness. The comic timing in Christopher Luscombe’s production is impeccable.
That this story of women taking ownership of their own bodies and destinies is 100 years old and still watchable is testament to Coward’s sharp and incisive writing.
The men have less to do, but Richard Teverson (Fred) and Christopher Hollis (Bill) as the oblivious golfer husbands are fun, and Graham Vick’s Maurice oozes naughty Gallic charm.
Sarah Twomey (Saunders) is delightful and hilarious from her first appearance. A cheeky burst of Rachmaninov 2nd reminds us of Brief Encounter; her twittery singing is pure Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday.
Back in London for the first time in 25 years, Fallen Angels has lost none of its charm, with the audience finding the humour in almost every line. As in Private Lives, there is both slapstick and pathos in the play to great effect.
Dee’s refinement and Gilbreath’s hoarse agitation are more than worth the trip. Simon Higlett’s set design brings the setting of an upmarket flat to life, while Adam Cork’s sound offers a lovely pay-off.
With stunning day and evening costumes from Fotini Dimou (with wigs, hair, make-up by Betty Marini) the roaring 20s are perfectly captured, with a sense of the charleston and the freedom of the flappers.
I had a great time. This may not be one of The Master’s best-known plays, but it sparkles in this lively and pointed revival.
4 stars.
You can see Fallen Angels at Menier Chocolate Factory until 21 Feb 2026: tickets here.
Image: Manuel Harlan