Farces have been around since 15th-century France, but Coward is credited with revitalizing the genre in the 20th century. And though he's British, it was a 1921 trip to America — and specifically, to Broadway, where he encountered the work of playwrights like George Bernard Shaw — that inspired his signature writing style: fast-paced, witty, and fun.

"His main drive in a lot of his writings is to entertain," said Byrne. About Fallen Angels, she continued, "It's written for laughter. It is written for an audience to be enjoying this downfall of these women and the absurdity of it."

On the flip side, Coward has influenced countless 20th- and 21st-century comedies. A recent example is Sandy Rustin's 2023 Broadway play The Cottage, about six English aristocrats cheating on each other with each other.

Until 1968, the U.K.'s Lord Chamberlain had to approve all plays before they could go on, and Fallen Angels almost didn't get cleared. The idea that sophisticated women would even think about sex, passion, and affairs — let alone openly discussing them — was unheard of!

"The only way they got around it was because they ultimately said, 'Well, it's a comedy. It's a farce, and it's unrealistic. Women would never have extramarital relationships, so the whole thing is based on a lie and a fantasy,'" said Aasif Mandvi, who plays Fred Sterroll, O'Hara's onstage husband.

Coward still had to make a few edits, but the play got the green light. Still, there are reports of critics and patrons alike being scandalized by it. We'd say Fallen Angels was simply ahead of its time.

When you enter the Todd Haimes Theatre, you'll be stepping into a luxurious 1920s apartment — think Art Deco architecture and fashion — with no expenses spared. For O'Hara, her costumes evoke the classic glamour of Katharine Hepburn and Grace Kelly — "but drunk and with the hair messed up," she added.

Many of Coward's works are set among the European upper class, and he curated his own name and public image to be synonymous with couture, poise, and elegance as he climbed the ranks of fame. That said, in shows like Fallen Angels, the comedy comes from supposedly sophisticated people throwing manners out the window.

The timelessness and humor of Noël Coward plays makes them popular choices for local theatres and high schools. His most frequently produced works include Private Lives, Present Laughter, and Blithe Spirit, and lots of theatre fans have encountered at least one, whether on a stage big or small. O'Hara has.

"I remember as a young woman seeing Private Lives [on Broadway] with Lindsay Duncan and Alan Rickman and just thinking, 'I want to be in something like that as an actor,'" she recalled. "As an audience member, even if you weren't an artist yourself, you feel like you're getting a piece of theatre history in a way, a piece of life in a way we don't live here in America."

"It's two women drinking some booze and reminiscing about their lives," Consuelos summed up Fallen Angels. The cast provided the above recommendations, vouching that the play is perfect for any modern-day fans of ladies behaving badly in anything from reality TV to prestige dramas.

Or, per O'Hara, in groundbreaking comedy films. "I like to pretend I'm Kristen Wiig to Rose Byrne in Bridesmaids," she said. "There's even a scene where I offer her an almond, and it's right out of the film — I've asked her if we could pretend it's from that film."

We think Coward would toast to that.

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