If nothing else, Delia Ephron’s autobiographical romantic comedy Left on Tenth, opening tonight on Broadway, proves that Ephron, like her late sister Nora, can discover the feel-good in even probably the most unlikely locations. In Left on Tenth, that might be the oncology ward of a Manhattan hospital.
Based mostly on Delia’s bestselling 2022 memoir of the identical title, the title Left on Tenth refers back to the Greenwich Village location of the author’s beloved house the place she spent many completely satisfied years with the husband who dies not lengthy earlier than Ephron is recognized with leukemia. And never lengthy, because it occurs, earlier than Ephron begins a mid-life romance that she by no means noticed coming.
Performed by Julianna Margulies (ER, The Good Spouse) with limitless enchantment that doesn’t shortchange the harsher elements of a chemo-drenched restoration, the play’s Delia Ephron continues to be getting used to being alone following the current demise of her husband when a long-ago acquaintance emails from out of the blue after studying Ephron’s New York Instances article referencing her widowhood. Peter Rutter (a real-life character performed by Grace and Frankie‘s Peter Gallagher) had truly gone on just a few dates with Delia manner again in school, although Delia has no recollection of their assembly.
Irrespective of. After a quick long-distance courtship – she’s a widow in Manhattan, he’s a widower in San Francisco – the 2 fall sooner and sweeter than any fictional couple in a type of much-loved movies she wrote or produced with director-sister Nora Ephron like You’ve Bought Mail or Sleepless in Seattle.
In reality, Left on Tenth has all of the earmarks of these tales, with maybe only a very, very mild contact of Joan Didion’s The 12 months of Magical Considering. Definitely, Ephron’s memoir lacks the visceral disappointment, gut-punching grief that Didion chronicled so intrepidly and with such gravitas, however the authors do share a pile-up of mid-life unhealthy information: Delia’s beloved sister Nora dies in 2012 and her doting husband in 2015. Whereas her life is straight away crammed with caring, sympathetic buddies (all performed, fairly charmingly, by Peter Francis James and Kate MacCluggage), somebody new enters with that electronic mail from the opposite coast.
A beautiful whirlwind romance ensues, however consistent with the haste that appears to mark a lot of Delia’s lifetime of late, a routine medical examination – she’s been having her bone marrow checked recurrently for the reason that demise of her sister to a leukemia-related sickness – brings unhealthy information.
Julianna Margulies and Kate MacCluggage
Joan Marcus
Regardless of the brevity of their relationship, Peter doesn’t disappear. He’s by Delia’s facet even when the chemo-sickened affected person cruelly lashes out and begs to let go.
Frankly, there’s not a lot by means of plot that doesn’t really feel well-worn, however director Susan Stroman, ably assisted by Beowulf Boritt’s pretty, very environment friendly set design, Jeff Mahshie’s interesting and city-accurate costumes and projection designs by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew of leafy Greenwich Village and romantic Manhattan skyline, infuses the whole affair with a heat affability that’s as inviting because the affectionate performances of Margulies and Gallagher.
Left on Tenth is a slight endeavor – slighter, in all probability, than a most cancers odyssey has any proper to be – and definitely falls in need of higher Ephron Sister efforts. Even so, there may be just one response to it, and that’s nicely needs for all.
Title: Left on Tenth
Venue: Broadway’s James Earl Jones Theatre
Written By: Delia Ephron
Directed By: Susan Stroman
Solid: Julianna Margulies, Peter Gallagher, Peter Francis James, Kate MacCluggage
Working time: 1 hr 40 min (no intermission)
