By Ruth Ross
Pop! Pop! Pop! One by one, playwright Noel Coward bursts the bubbles of hypocrisy that society so desperately clings to, especially those regarding women and sex, in his frothy comedy Fallen Angels, now receiving an effervescent and hilarious production at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Written early in Coward's career—it was only the second of his plays to be produced—the play was attacked by critics and audiences alike (and the "morals police") for its frank depiction of two middle class women who have had premarital sex, get stinking drunk and are prepared to commit adultery, all of which added to its box office appeal and, no doubt, pleased Coward immensely!
Whereas in the later Present Laughter (recently performed at the Two River Theater Company in Red Bank) Coward focused on the trials of being a male celebrity, the "fallen angels" of this play are women. Julia Sterroll and Jane Banbury, bored socialites no longer "in love with" their conventional husbands and longtime friends who tell each other "everything." were once romantically involved with the same Frenchman (albeit at different times). When each receives a postcard that said Frenchman, Marcel Duclos, is coming to London and would like to see her, these two lovelies, who are "surrounded in undeserved virtue," recall their adventures with him in Venice (Jane) and Paris (Julia) and decide to face him together. "It'll be good for our French," Julia rationalizes!
As they await Marcel's arrival, Julia and Jane drink lots of champagne, taunt each other with dalliance details, trade outrageous insults and get completely hysterical—laughing and crying! Through it all, the new maid Saunders shares her immense knowledge of golf, hangovers and music, much to our amusement and Julia and Jane's annoyance. When Marcel (and their husbands) finally arrive in the final minutes of the play, Coward skewers and deflates middle class English pretensions, makes a wise (and predictable) comment on the way husbands should treat their wives, but leaves the door open to possibly more hanky-panky as the lights come down. How wickedly delicious!
The cast assembled by director Matthew Arbour is a mix of veteran STNJ performers and two making their debut with the company. Julie Jesneck (left, as Julia) and Melissa Miller (right, as Jane) carry the bulk of the action and comedy. With their upper class-sounding British accents (they say "an 'otel") and snooty airs, they are the quintessential English matrons with time on their hands. Their languor is palpable, and the fact that each has had "a presentment" of something momentous happening presages the pickle they soon find themselves in. Both Jesneck and Miller sport convincing, high pitched accents; their wild giggling and drunken staggering are both natural and very funny. And to watch them hurl insults and wrestle with a ringing telephone is worth the price of admission.
As their husbands Fred and Willy, Jeffrey M. Bender (left) and Ned Noyes (right), respectively, have relatively little to do until the final scenes when each woman spills the beans to the other's husband. Noyes' Willy is incredulous and keeps a stiff upper lip as he staunchly denies what Julia tells him about his wife. In contrast, Bender's Fred is a complete basket-case; he has a meltdown that matches his wife's in Act II, gnashing his teeth and getting his underwear into a twist! Rather than being straight men, these two epitomize the clueless husbands so necessary to comedy.
Similar to the later Present Laughter, Coward creates a maid that gets laughs every time she appears. As Saunders (her real name is Jasmin, but Julia calls her by her last name probably because she thinks it more appropriate to a lady of her rank), Allison Mackie (right, with Julie Jesneck) is a fount of information, whether it be which golf clubs to use on a particular course, how to play the piano, sing and speak in fluent French ("Pour un Peu d'Amour" is the song both Jane and Julia associate with their flings with Marcel), and the most effective antidote to a hangover—all delivered in a voice even snootier than Julia and Jane's! She's a real hoot! And he may be onstage for a mere ten minutes or so, but Michael Sharon as Marcel unctuously oozes continental smarminess, what with his white suit and shoes, loosely tied cravat and thin mustache.
This nonsense unfolds on a spectacular set designed by Charles Corcoran to represent a proper 1925 English sitting room adorned with Art Deco fabrics and wallpaper (they are echoed on the stage proscenium), a baby grand piano and an door to Julia's bedroom at the back. Martha Bromelmeier's costumes are entirely appropriate to upper middle class matrons in the Twenties, complete with snazzy jackets and dropped waist dresses and diaphanous chiffon cocktail dresses with pointed hems. Tony Galaska's lighting shows time change, and Jane Shaw's sound design involves ringing telephones and doorbells, wind and taxis out on the street. Coward wrote the lyrics “Pour un Peu d”Amour”; I don't know who wrote the song Saunders sings about a peach on the highest branch being the one wanted the most, but I detected a whiff of "Mad about the Boy," also written by Noel Coward and used so effectively in Present Laughter. It is a nice way to tie the two productions together.
Noel Coward wrote, "Sex being the most important factor of human nature is naturally, and always will be, the fundamental root of good drama," and he sure proves it in Fallen Angels. Although nothing sexual actually happens onstage, just the idea that two young women had sexual liaisons before they were married is the engine that drives the comedy. With the sexual revolution, we may not be as shocked by this notion, but the stellar production and acting at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is evidence that there's lots of comic ore to be mined from that lode yet. You will laugh your head off!
Fallen Angels will be performed at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison (on the campus of Drew University) through July 28. For performance times and tickets, call the box office at 973.408.5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org online.
Photos by Gary Goodstein.
