It is 1925. Celebrated playright Noël Coward is the hottest name in theatre in London. The previous year he had his first hit as a playwright with The Vortex, followed immediately by success with On With The Dance. His new comedy, Fallen Angels, was attracting huge interest and was set to be staged at the Globe Theatre (now the Gielgud Theatre) on Shaftesbury Avenue.
Fallen Angels had, as one of its themes, two wives contemplating adultery, and the play immediately met with resistance from the office of the official theatre censor. It was only granted a licence to be performed in the West End following the personal intervention of the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior officer of the Royal Household in Britain. For over 230 years, until 1968, this man had the power to decide on such matters.
The then office holder, Lord Cromer, overruled objections to the play, saying: “I take the view that the whole thing is so much unreal farcical comedy, that subject to a few modifications in the dialogue it can pass.”
Though embroiled in controversy at the time of its introduction, Fallen Angels continues to delight 90 years later. The play concerns two ‘wretchedly, happily married’ women who are about to have their lives upended by the reappearance of Maurice, their former French lover.
In this Blacklight Productions’ version you are transported back in time by the clever appearance of the cast and the stage in greyscale. They are all presented in black and white, paying homage to the days of the ‘silver screen’. Indeed, the production is accompanied by silent movie montages.
Fallen Angels is about the games people play, and about the women who win them. The combination of exceptional writing and innovative staging will provide you with a visual treat, all in a setting that lends itself to the performance. No matter what form you arrive in, you are guaranteed to leave with a bellyful of laughs.
The venue
Smock Alley Theatre lies in an historic part of Dublin city. On the banks of the River Liffey in a quiet part of Temple Bar, its foundations lie in the oldest part of the city. This is Viking Dublin, known today as Wood Quay, while around the corner stands Fishamble Street, also within the old city walls. This street is famous as the site of the first performance of Handel’s Messiah, which took place in April 1742 before an audience of 700 people.
Smock Alley's main stage area.
In 1662 the doors opened on the Theatre Royal at Smock Alley, one of the first in the world to use the new invention of footlights on stage. The theatre was home to the plays of George Farquhar, Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan in front of an intimate audience of 300 people. Today the new Smock Alley retains this intimacy.
The once great theatre fell into disrepair and out of favour, closing its doors in 1787. In 2012, Smock Alley Theatre returned to its roots, 350 years after it was first built.
Directed by Cliodhna McAllister, Fallen Angels runs at the Smock Alley Theatre 1662, located at 7 Exchange Street Lower, Dublin, from Monday 18 March until Saturday 23 March at 7.30pm, with a matinee performance on 23 March at 2.30pm. Tickets can be booked at 01-6770014.
It is 1925. Celebrated playright Noël Coward is the hottest name in theatre in London. The previous year he had his first hit as a playwright with The Vortex, followed immediately by success with On With The Dance. His new comedy, Fallen Angels, was attracting huge interest and was set to be staged at the Globe Theatre (now the Gielgud Theatre) on Shaftesbury Avenue.
Fallen Angels had, as one of its themes, two wives contemplating adultery, and the play immediately met with resistance from the office of the official theatre censor. It was only granted a licence to be performed in the West End following the personal intervention of the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior officer of the Royal Household in Britain. For over 230 years, until 1968, this man had the power to decide on such matters.
The then office holder, Lord Cromer, overruled objections to the play, saying: “I take the view that the whole thing is so much unreal farcical comedy, that subject to a few modifications in the dialogue it can pass.”
Though embroiled in controversy at the time of its introduction, Fallen Angels continues to delight 90 years later. The play concerns two ‘wretchedly, happily married’ women who are about to have their lives upended by the reappearance of Maurice, their former French lover.
In this Blacklight Productions’ version you are transported back in time by the clever appearance of the cast and the stage in greyscale. They are all presented in black and white, paying homage to the days of the ‘silver screen’. Indeed, the production is accompanied by silent movie montages.
Fallen Angels is about the games people play, and about the women who win them. The combination of exceptional writing and innovative staging will provide you with a visual treat, all in a setting that lends itself to the performance. No matter what form you arrive in, you are guaranteed to leave with a bellyful of laughs.
The venue
Smock Alley Theatre lies in an historic part of Dublin city. On the banks of the River Liffey in a quiet part of Temple Bar, its foundations lie in the oldest part of the city. This is Viking Dublin, known today as Wood Quay, while around the corner stands Fishamble Street, also within the old city walls. This street is famous as the site of the first performance of Handel’s Messiah, which took place in April 1742 before an audience of 700 people.
Smock Alley's main stage area.
In 1662 the doors opened on the Theatre Royal at Smock Alley, one of the first in the world to use the new invention of footlights on stage. The theatre was home to the plays of George Farquhar, Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan in front of an intimate audience of 300 people. Today the new Smock Alley retains this intimacy.
The once great theatre fell into disrepair and out of favour, closing its doors in 1787. In 2012, Smock Alley Theatre returned to its roots, 350 years after it was first built.
Directed by Cliodhna McAllister, Fallen Angels runs at the Smock Alley Theatre 1662, located at 7 Exchange Street Lower, Dublin, from Monday 18 March until Saturday 23 March at 7.30pm, with a matinee performance on 23 March at 2.30pm. Tickets can be booked at 01-6770014.
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