Fallen Angels Director's Notes

Noël Coward wrote Fallen Angels in 1925, during a period of social transition in Britain—especially for women. The interwar years saw women gaining more rights, entering public life in new ways and beginning to question the boundaries of marriage, propriety and domestic expectation. While the surface of society remained polished, the foundations were shifting. Coward readily seized on this shift and through his plays, stories and songs, displayed a keen sense of what audiences wanted to hear, and an even keener sense for what they were afraid to say out loud.

Though best known for his sophisticated comedies of manners, Fallen Angels was his sole attempt at a genuine farce. He employs the usual mechanisms of mistaken identities and physical comedy, but what sets this play apart is his unmistakable voice: sharp, elegant and layered.

Our production leans into the aesthetic of 1930s Hollywood—those gorgeously lit musicals and screwball comedies that often used the artifice of glamour and style to reflect real tensions beneath the surface.

Why do this play in 2025? Well, it is the 125th anniversary of Coward’s birth and exactly 100 years since the play premiered! It seems an appropriate moment to celebrate his particular genius. And in an age when we are still reckoning with the performative demands placed on women, Fallen Angels feels startlingly relevant. Coward’s questions—about freedom, intimacy, class systems—are still in the room. Finally, audiences in 2025, more than ever, crave connection. Fallen Angels reminds us that the bonds between women— fraught, funny and fiercely loyal—are also worthy of celebration.

Here on the Hill, we raise a glass to glamour, to wit, to chaos. Enjoy the ride.

-Shannon Chochran, Director of Fallen Angels