MCT's FALLEN ANGELS to Run 4/14-5/1

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre closes it 2015-2016 season with the stylish, witty and sparking classic, FALLEN ANGELS by the master of comedy Noël Coward, April 14 - May 1, 2016. Producing Artistic Director C. Michael Wright will direct MCT favorites Kay Allmand, Matt Koester, Beth Mulkerron, Rick Pendzich, Molly Rhode and Chase Stoeger. FALLEN ANGELS performs in the Broadway Theatre Center's Cabot Theatre in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward.

London. 1925. Julia and Jane are the dearest of friends. And both are happily married. That is until they each unexpectedly hear that an old flame will be paying a call. When they discover that they're both still carrying a torch for the very same Maurice, the fur begins to fly! Noël Coward is the master of drawing room comedy, and this delightful diversion is chock-full of his razor-sharp wit, charming musical interludes and all-around joie de vivre!

C. Michael Wright returns to this classic Noël Coward comedy after directing it at Next Act Theatre in 2001. When asked why he chose to make it part of MCT's season he said, "What makes FALLEN ANGELS particularly appealing to me is that it has three extremely juicy women's roles, which is all too rare. And Coward really knew how to write for women!"

The three women's roles will be filled by talented local actresses Kay Allmand (JEEVES TAKES A BOW), Beth Mulkerron (A THOUSAND CLOWNS) and Molly Rhode (A THOUSAND WORDS and TRYING). Rhode is returning to the role of Saunders, a role she played in Next Act's 2001 production. The cast includes local actors Matt Koester (JEEVES IN BLOOM), Rick Pendzich (COMPLETE WORKS/SHAKESPEARE, LEND ME A TENOR) and Chase Stoeger (JEEVES TAKES A BOW, COMPLETE WORKS/SHAKESPEARE).

Sir Noël Peirce Coward (1899-1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit and flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise." Born in London, he made his professional stage debut at twelve. Coward achieved enduring success as a playwright, publishing more than 50 plays from his teens onwards. FALLEN ANGELS premiered at the Globe Theatre in London in 1925 and had its Broadway debut in 1927. Some of his best-known plays include HAY FEVER, PRESENT LAUGHTER, SUITE IN TWO KEYS (all produced by MCT), PRIVATE LIVES, BLITHE SPIRIT and DESIGN FOR LIVING. During World War II, he remained a successful playwright, screenwriter and director, as well as an entertainer of the troops and even acted as an unofficial spy for the Foreign Office. He won an Honorary Academy Award in 1943 for his naval film drama, In Which We Serve. He composed hundreds of songs, in addition to well over a dozen musical theatre works, poetry, several volumes of short stories, the novel Pomp and Circumstance, and a three-volume autobiography. Coward's stage and film acting and directing career spanned six decades, during which he starred in many of his own works. Coward was a very close friend of acting couple Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. He was a regular guest at their estate, Ten Chimneys, in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin and the main house even features a "Noël Coward bedroom." In the 1950s he achieved fresh success as a cabaret performer, performing his own songs, such as "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" and "I Went to a Marvelous Party." He was knighted in 1970. The former Albery Theatre in London was renamed the Noël Coward Theatre in his honor in 2006.

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