What I liked
What I didn't like
My overall impression
When entering the Three Clubs it feels like going into a time warp: squeezing by to find a spot, the laughter and chattering of strangers, and the booze was flowing (though this show is a #SeeItLA, you can make it a #DrinkDuringItLA, if you desire). “Angel’s Flight” then begins with a cartoon-esque introduction, like the opening credits of a classic film, and you know to buckle up for a fun time.
This is a well-researched homage to noir that was written not to be serious, but had an ensemble of actors that seriously embodied the classic style. The respect for the genre heightened the humor without making it feel gimmicky, such as: referencing people overdosing on reefer (marijuana), a somewhat David Lynch fish scene, and questioning the bad decisions made in the genre like going on winding Mulholland Drive during a chase. I don’t think a review of this would be doing justice if the use of some of the best puns I’ve heard weren’t acknowledged; though there were a couple of the worst I heard too and as Duff (Schoen Hodges) reminds the audience after one particularly poor one: “You paid for this, people.” This self-aware script is what makes the play an enjoyable experience.
“Angel’s Flight” does twist the genre by having the big bad boss spoiler as a female end spoiler and it was nice have female characters with intelligence and not mere accessories; but I don’t recall if it would pass the Bechdel test. The Cherry Poppins were part of this collaboration as the female characters and to perform a couple of music numbers throughout. After seeing them in this, it makes me put their other show “A Whole Newd World” on my take a #ChanceItLA list.
One thing to note, when there were scenes at the bar it was difficult to hear while sitting on the other side of the room (except when the audience was directly talked to). Besides that, “Angel’s Flight” is a fun and hilarious #SeeItLA and it’ll be interesting to see what Matt Ritchey and Benjamin Schwartz do next.
