What I liked
- The Opening: Loved it. Very “Film Noir” meets “James Bond” meets “Spy Hard” in its spoofing the entire noir, spy and opening credits premise all in one. It was one of my favorite parts of the entire show.
- The Cast: Stellar all-around but with the greatest honors going specifically to Schoen Hodges as “Duff”. His ability to keep himself in the tone and attitude of a true Noir detective even as the show became more and more preposterous (and 4th wall-breaking) was a joy to behold. Hat’s off to you, Duff.
- Writing: Benjamin Schwartz: It’s a great script, Ben. Funny, especially in the latter half, as it begins to go off the rails and into absurdism. The car sequence—stellar. The ending—awesome, dark, spectacular. Very, very worth watching!
- Directing: There is a sharp skipper behind the scenes of this show and it makes a tremendous difference. This particular script could have very quickly become a mess and the fact that it does not is a testament to the skill of the director. Scenes flow well and quickly and easily. The space is very well used. The story makes sense spatially and time-wise. It all feels very clearly under the control and guidance of someone who knows what they are trying to create and the tones, style and substance all work in the same vein very well together.
What I didn't like
If I were to make any criticisms, they would be minor ones.
I loved the way the universe began to literally fall apart as the story went on—as though our main character were actually able to recognize that he was in a Noir film/play. I wish that had happened earlier, that the enjoyment of playing with the edge of reality has started closer to the top of the show so that it wasn’t QUITE so sudden and out of the blue. Just so that it would have been more fluid.
The tail end of the story—during the surprise reveals and so forth—was just the smallest confusing (at least for me as an audience member). Ultimately I understood what had happened, but I sort of had to play catch up during the next and final scene. If that was the plan for the script, then well done. Otherwise, if I was SUPPOSED to get it during the previous scene, then perhaps something was simply a little muddled that particular performance or that part of the story ended up unclear as it was revealed.
My overall impression
I love the film noir genre. Love it with a passion. So I walked into Angel’s Flight with a hope that I was going to enjoy what is billed as a “film noir-infused burlesque comedy” over at Three Clubs. Enjoy isn’t the right word. DEVOURED is a far better choice. Angel’s Flight is a BLAST and a gem of a parody of the film noir genre.
Take a character determined to get to the bottom of a mystery. Take women who seem determined to either get in his way or make his life hell. Take some mobster-types who want to beat him up. And some cop-types who want to do the same. And then just mix it all up with some comedy and a LOT of alliteration. And you’ve got Angel’s flight. Lots of laughs in all the right places. LOTS of dames with curves. Also in all the right places.
Lots of great performances. Lots of great dancing. Some great singing. Oh, and there is a fish whose performance is so stellar I can’t say anything about it except to say that whatever I thought “sleeping with the fishes” was…it wasn’t THAT.
With a script that made my laugh out loud repeatedly, cast members that did the same, direction that utilized Three Clubs as well as the other Noir show playing at Fringe this year and some fantastic musical voices, this show is SO WORTH seeing. It’s a raucous good time for all and a flight most definitely worth taking!
