Left on Tenth by Delia Ephron. Directed by Susan Stroman. Scenic design by Beowulf Boritt. Costume design by Jeff Mahshie. Lighting design by Ken Billington and Itohan Edoloyi. Sound design by Jill BC Du Boff. Projection design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew. Hair and makeup design by Michael Buonincontro. Animal trainer William Berloni.
Cast: Julianna Margulies, Peter Gallagher, Peter Francis James, and Kate MacCluggage.
Theater: James Earl Jones Theatre
Tickets: Telecharge.com

Peter Gallagher and Julianna Margulies Photo by Joan Marcus

Ephron based the play on her memoir of the same title. The romantic comedy part draws from her experience of finding a new love when she was in her 70s and still grieving the loss of her husband of more than 30 years. The killer disease part draws from her near-death from leukemia. While both sides of this story are presumably true, the play itself only feels true during those scenes that deal with the medical battle.

Left on Tenth, unconvincingly directed by Susan Stroman and featuring Julianna Margulies as Delia, begins with a heavy dose of exposition, much of it in the form of narrative spoken directly to the audience. During this, Margulies winds up seeming as though she were performing for an audiobook recording, an approach that does not make for a great theatregoing experience. And because it is set in an expansive upscale home library (designed by Beowulf Boritt), of the sort few of us can imagine fitting into our own apartments, it gives us an off-putting sense that we are listening to a self-centered well-to-do writer expecting us to hang on to her every word.

Things do get better as the narration segues into Delia's interactions with Peter (portrayed by a charming Peter Gallagher), who wins her heart over the course of a few sweet rom-com style scenes. Not surprising, since Delia Ephron is probably best known for her rom-com screenplays, most famously for You've Got Mail, co-written with her sister Nora Ephron.

Things take on a dancing-on-air tone for a while, until Delia is diagnosed with the same kind of cancer that took Nora's life. The clinical scenes are definitely harrowing, and Margulies, finally given the opportunity to portray a realistic character instead of someone in a romantic fantasy, gives a wrenching performance, at least for a time. Until, with totally supportive and loving Peter by her side, along with a couple of adorable dogs on the scene, we get our dose of drama plus a happy ending. Can a Hallmark Channel presentation be far behind?

Throughout the 100-minute play, two other actors, Peter Francis James and Kate MacCluggage, do a beautiful job playing multiple roles, ranging from friends, to health care personnel, to dancers in a Seven Brides for Seven Brothers fantasy scene. And the two leads do what they can with their underdeveloped roles. But the tricky problem, unresolved here, boils down to this: A book is a thing unto itself. A screenplay is a thing unto itself. And a play is a thing unto itself. Converting one form to another is quite a knotty challenge, and Delia Ephron's choppy translation of her memoir into a play is only intermittently successful.