“Left on Tenth”

Susan Granger’s review of “Left on Tenth” (Broadway review)

All her life, genial Delia Ephron has lived in the shadow of her more famous older sister: writer/director Nora Ephron. As romantic comedy writers, they often collaborated (“You’ve Got Mail”) and shared a genetic predisposition for leukemia.

But that revelation comes mid-way through Delia’s 2022 memoir-adaptation “Left on Tenth” that just opened on Broadway.

Set on a lefty street in Greenwich Village, her story, as related by Delia (Julianna Margulies), begins with seemingly endless calls to Verizon. A while ago when her husband died and she had his phone disconnected, Verizon also deleted her internet connection – a frustrating situation she’s been unable to remedy.

After the New York Times published her amusing essay about this dilemma – which Verizon eventully rectified –  Delia is e-mailed by charming widower Peter Rutter (Peter Gallagher), a Jungian psychiatrist in Northern California, who recalls they were introduced by Nora and actually went on a couple of dates many years ago. None of which Delia remembers.

Their long-distance relationship predictably evolves into real-life romance. “I began to believe I was falling into my own romantic comedy,” she notes, revealing she’s been obsessed with love since she first watched the 1954 movie musical “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.”

Running one hour, 40 minutes without an intermission, it grows increasingly tedious as Delia bravely battles agonizing chemotherapy with stalwart, solicitous, stoic, saintly Peter at her side. (Apparently, he slept on a cot in her hospital room.)  

Problem is: the superficial script suffers from awkwardly interminable affability. There’s too little character development and even less friction or tension. What you see is what you get, including the inevitable ‘happily-ever-after’ ending.

Directed by Susan Stroman with various supporting roles played by Peter Francis James and Kate MacCluggage, it’s enhanced by Beowulf Boritt’s elegantly book-lined set design, Jeff Mahshie’s costumes, lighting by Ken Billington & Itohan Edoloyi, sound by Jill BC Du Boff, projections by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, wigs by Michael Buonincontro and the obedient dogs are credited to Theatrical Animals Inc.

“Left on Tenth” is at the James Earl Jones Theater at 138 East 48th Street.

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