Penned by Paul Slade Smith, THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR was adapted from a 1924 Ferenc Molnar play, “Play at the Castle.” The comedy made its world debut in 2023 in Solana Beach, a San Diego suburb. In the same year, it premiered on the East Coast in Charleston, South Carolina. Soon, the comedy journeyed to Laguna Beach, where Broadway World opined that the play was “bubbling over with non-stop laughs, merriment, glamour, and high-spirited high-jinx.” In 2025, International City Theatre is proud to present the Los Angeles premiere of THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR.
Meeghan Holaway, Geoffrey Lower, and Armand Akbari – Photo by Jordan Gohara
The time is 1948, and the place is an opulent, expansive bedroom in a seaside mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Enter famed Broadway playwrights Charlotte Sanders (Meeghan Holaway) and Arthur Sanders (Geoffrey Lower) with young Oliver Adams (Armand Akbari) in tow. It seems that Oliver has authored a romantic novel, and Charlotte and Arthur are certain that the novel will become a bestseller and have already adapted the book into a play which they are sure will become a Broadway blockbuster. They are eager to help Oliver along in his career, especially since Oliver’s success will insure that their depleted income will swell.
Nick Lunetta and Jessica Fishenfeld – Photo by Jordan Gohara
Oliver’s novel, THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR, is about to be published. The book tells the tale of Oliver’s love affair with Margot Bell (Jessica Fishenfeld), a famous Broadway diva and the Angel in the title. As it turns out, Oliver met Margot in person only one time months before at a party which the Sanders threw, and Margot may not even remember who Oliver is. A problem since the Sanders have already found backing for the play by promising that its star would be the Angel, Margot. To complicate matters further, Oliver has refused to sign the lucrative book deal until he gets Margot’s approval. To avert disaster, the canny Charlotte has engineered this weekend in Newport to bring Oliver and his Angel together again. But events in Margot’s bedroom next door suggest that Oliver’s Angel might not be so angelic after all.
Jessica Fishenfeld, SKY Palkowitz, Armand Akbari, and Meeghan Holaway – Photo by Jordan Gohara
Directed by Cate Caplin, THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR lives up to its billing as a 1940s screwball romantic comedy. The play bounces between unexpected and often farcical situations (what are five doors for anyway) and a tribute to the people who make theater live. The cast makes the best of the play, even though it is littered with stereotypes and tropes – particularly in the persons of the foreign housekeeper Olga Molnar (SKY Palkowitz) and dull-witted, narcissistic Broadway heartthrob Victor Pratt (Nick Lunetta). Akbari’s clever physical humor is also an wily surprise. THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR offers an easy escape from life’s problems with some laughs along the way. Don’t expect the answers to the world’s dilemmas; you will be pleasantly surprised by this amusing return to the popular humor of the 1940s. P.S. Destiny Manewal’s scenic design and Kimberly DeShazo’ costumes are a hoot.
Nick Lunetta, Meeghan Holaway, and Jessica Fishenfeld – Photo by Jordan Gohara
THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR runs through June 29, 2025, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. The International City Theatre is located in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, 330 East Seaside Way, Long Beach, CA 90802. Tickets range from $44 to $59. For information and reservations, call 562-436-4610 or go online.
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