I saw Fallen Angels on Broadway and then watched it on BroadwayHD, which I joined just to see it. (I wonder how many new subscribers they got due to Fallen Angels.)
Fallen Angels is silly as can be, and extremely entertaining. It offers two fabulous roles for women and leaves room for them to unleash their own silliness. Kelli O'Hara and Rose Byrne are terrific, amazing, incredibly funny.
The point of this post is to discuss how the streaming version compares to the live. Director Scott Ellis provides a smooth, clear, record of the show that captures a great deal of what was on stage. I was afraid that the streaming version would come across as horribly overacted, but it came across as just the right amount overacted!
While the close-ups are lovely, I missed the ability to choose where to look. I sometimes focus more on a person listening than a person speaking, to see how the character is responding. An actor who is a good listener can add so much to a show. I often didn't have that option with the streaming version, as the listener was not always in the shot.
All in all, Ellis et al. did a terrific job, and it's always wonderful to have a record of that most ephemeral of arts, theater. I feel that someone who only saw the streaming version had a full experience of the play. Many times, on seeing taped versions of live performances, I would think, "You had to be there." But not with this Fallen Angel. It truly allowed watchers to be there.
But where did it go? BroadwayHD only showed it for a few weeks. I hope it isn't gone forever. I know that there can be complications with unions and rights in the US (which is why, I suspect, BroadwayHD has so many West End versions of American shows). Here's hoping the show has a long life somewhere!
Wendy Caster
