Kelli O'Hara Reflects on Her Ninth Tony Nomination and the Boozy Antics of Fallen Angels
O’Hara talks about about Noël Coward's genius and the drunken chaos of the comedy
(Photo by Sergio Villarini for Broadway.com)
What to Know
- Kelli O’Hara earned her ninth Tony nomination for playing Julia Sterroll in Fallen Angels, marking her first straight play on Broadway
- In the Noël Coward comedy, O’Hara stars opposite Rose Byrne as a '20s socialite waiting for an old flame while slowly unraveling over drinks
- O’Hara discusses trusting her comic instincts, stepping outside musical theater and embracing the idea that “there’s no arrival” in her Broadway career
Tony winner Kelli O’Hara shares the spotlight with Rose Byrne in the Noël Coward comedy Fallen Angels, marking her first straight-play on Broadway. O’Hara portrays Julia Sterroll, a prohibition-era socialite who gets loose on a lion's share of go-go juice while awaiting the arrival of an old flame. For this screwball turn, O’Hara has been recognized with her ninth Tony nomination.
Though she hadn’t heard of the play, O’Hara was immediately drawn to the material when it was presented to her. “The idea was delicious to me, like an old film à la Katharine Hepburn,” she told Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek. “I read it and I thought, ‘This is awesome. Two ladies talking about when passion's gone and being disenchanted.' [Coward] was 23 when he wrote it! I don't know what was going on with that kid. It's amazing and we're having a blast.”
This project requires The King and I Tony winner to play a character who gets increasingly intoxicated on stage. “My hat's off to Noël Coward," she said. "Whether he intended it or not, it seems to have a certain slow build of getting drunk. There's the normal beginning frisson and then it kind of starts to get louder, so it's written in there.” Speaking on how this project diverges from her previous roles, O’Hara said, “I'll be honest, with other characters I've played, it doesn't serve them for me to be chewing the scenery and falling down, so I didn't get a chance to do such things. It's just becoming more and more fun because I'm learning to trust my choices and trust that there might be egg on my face, but that's OK. I'm thrilled at the flexibility of it all.”
Though she's outside her comfort zone, O'Hara has embraced the opportunity to grow as a performer. "This has been my school. I hope that I'm never going to stop learning. I'm learning something every single step I take." Reflecting on the importance of this mindset, O'Hara said, “If I could talk to teenage Kelli, it would just be, ‘You're right where you're supposed to be. You're not supposed to be finished.’ I feel proud to still be doing it and on my way. There's no arrival.”
Watch the full interview below!
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