LEFT ON TENTH Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/25/24 at 12:00am

Love eclipses everything.

Left on Tenth begins previews tomorrow night (September 26) at the James Earl Jones Theatre. The new romcom is written by Delia Ephron, based on her memoir of the same name. Leading the cast are Julianna Margulies, Peter Gallagher, Peter Francis James, and Kate MacCluggage, plus two live rescue dogs (Charlie and Dulcé). Left on Tenth is directed by Susan Stroman; opening night is scheduled for October 23, and it will run through February 2.

“When she least expects it, Delia, beloved novelist and screenwriter of ‘You’ve Got Mail,’ reconnects with a man from her past and falls into her own romantic comedy. What starts with an unlikely spark blossoms into a love story that seems to defy all odds in the face of life’s challenges. Left on Tenth tells the messy, beautiful true story of a woman discovering how to embrace the unpredictable and open her heart again.”

Who’s going?

[Keiichi2]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 6:35am

So, nobody is seeing this at all?

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 7:20am

Keiichi2 said: "So, nobody is seeing this at all?"


No.

[gibsons2]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 7:22am

Keiichi2 said: "So, nobody is seeing this at all?"

I am, eventually. 

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 11:46am

The marketing campaign has been minimalistic, Julianna Margulies often suffers from foot-in-mouth disease, and it's written by an Ephron sister, but the second one who comes to mind. 

I actually do intend to see it eventually, but think there could be challenges finding an audience. This is a show that would likely benefit from having more than two matinees a week.

EDIT: Actually it looks like they already figured that out. After previews, they're doing 4 matinees a week. 

Updated On: 9/26/24 at 11:46 AM

[Tom5]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 12:36pm

I read Delia's book 'Hanging Up' some years ago and she is no slouch as a writer. (The movie didn't translate) This play will have my highest attention. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 3:06pm

Jonathan Cohen said: "The marketing campaign has been minimalistic,Julianna Margulies often suffers from foot-in-mouth disease, and it's written by an Ephron sister, but the second one who comes to mind.

Well, considering that the "first one" (Nora) has been dead for 12 years -- which one were you expecting??

Talk about foot in mouth disease --- Pot, meet Kettle!

 

 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 6:54pm

100-minute intermission-less runtime listed on the official website

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 7:17pm

JSquared2 said: "Jonathan Cohen said: "The marketing campaign has been minimalistic,Julianna Margulies often suffers from foot-in-mouth disease, and it's written by an Ephron sister, but the second one who comes to mind.

Well, considering that the "first one" (Nora) has been dead for 12 years -- which one were you expecting??

Talk about foot in mouth disease --- Pot, meetKettle!”

 

You thought you ate with this one.

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 7:30pm

JSquared2 said: "Jonathan Cohen said: "The marketing campaign has been minimalistic,Julianna Margulies often suffers from foot-in-mouth disease, and it's written by an Ephron sister, but the second one who comes to mind.

Well, considering that the "first one" (Nora) has been dead for 12 years -- which one were you expecting??

Talk about foot in mouth disease --- Pot, meetKettle!

William Shakespeare has a play starting in previews on Broadway literally tonight. If you want to make fun of me for saying something dumb, I promise there are better examples than that. 

"

 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/26/24 at 11:11pm

Do we have any initial reports yet? 

From a video of the first curtain call, the company left the stage to the familiar refrain of Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.”

[dave1606]

Posted: 9/27/24 at 10:20am

I saw this. For those interested there is a $45 general rush, that my partner picked up around 5pm yesterday. We were in G10/12 in the mezz which was a perfect view. 

The positive is that Juliana Margulies was a delight on stage. I found her presence very warm and I'd love to see her do more. Peter Gallagher also was great and had good chemistry with her. 

That is where my praise ends. This just didn't scream to be a play. The first half is nearly an audiobook. 

They wheel out two desks and for a bit Juliana Margulies and Peter Gallagher write emails to each other. Not exactly thrilling theater. 

I hate to say it but I also found the writing and transitions between the heavier parts of this show very inconsistent. The tone varied wildly. 

It ran 1:50ish and could definitely be cut down. There is a bit of dance transitions and music that don't really do much other than add time. 

Overall I appreciated the ideas it had, but didn't think it followed through on them well. It felt very slight and not worth of the talent of its leads. 

 

 

[bigbelterbaby]

Posted: 9/27/24 at 11:18am

Sounds like a Meg Ryan 90s rom-com on stage. As long as people know what type of show they’re walking into, it sounds like a nice night out at the theatre. 
 

Do the two other actors besides Peter and Julianna play multiple characters? 

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 9/27/24 at 11:45am

bigbelterbaby said: "Do the two other actors besides Peter and Julianna play multiple characters?"

Yes. 

[kevinr]

Posted: 9/29/24 at 3:35pm

Wondering how the stage door is.....big fan of the two stars!  Was hoping to see this on my November trip.

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 10/2/24 at 12:04am

I saw tonight's performance. It started at 7:05pm and ended at 8:50pm, with no intermission. It was a long slog for a play that really only has two characters fleshed out and max, has one scene with any real conflict between the two. 

The material is so explicitly autobiographic it's a problem, since Delia Ephron the writer didn't want to show anything about herself the character or her now husband that can be perceived as negative. So instead you get an annoying scene where strangers repeatedly stop them just to say how cute they are as a couple. 

In terms of the actors, Peter Gallagher just has to be extremely charming, which he could do in his sleep. Julianna Margulies is being cast against type as a romantic comedy lead, which is sometimes interesting, but the more dramatic scenes are where she really excels. 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 12:52am

I thought Julianna Margulies and Peter Gallagher had chemistry and were very good. Peter Frances James and Kate Maccluggage played so many different characters and they were both terrific. But boy this did not work for me. There were moments when I thought that I was kidnapped by an episode of Love American Style. I also have to say that I really hated the Verizon hold music that you must endure before the show starts. The Verizon operator keeps updating you on how long the wait is and suggests that you request a call back. I just found it really annoying and not worth the joke it led up to once the show starts. Then Delia breaks the 4th wall for the first 20 minutes or so to tell you about how her husband died. Ugh.

My favorite part was when all of a sudden they play Ship in a Bottle sung by Barbara Cook. It felt completely out of left field but that song always makes me feel something so I loved it.  

Updated On: 10/4/24 at 12:52 AM

[lila12]

Posted: 10/3/24 at 10:34pm

I thought the best part (by far) was the dog.

The Verizon hold music is triggering, that's for sure. 

[HunterK]

Posted: 10/10/24 at 12:43pm

I went last night. Getting a Rush ticket at 12:30pm for the 7pm show. 

I honestly thought it was a mess and I didn't know going in it was directed by Susan Stroman. The tech aspects were all over the place. Late sound cues, clunky scenery, the amount of times you could see the stage crew (not in scrubs.) You would think it was a dress rehearsal. Julianna seemed to be over acting and Peter Gallagher (who looks great) needs to lear his lines. He cut off all of the actors at some point and went blank a few times. For me, it was a RomCom made for Lifetime TV. The best part by far were the 2 absolutely amazing dogs. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/12/24 at 9:59pm

I…don’t even have words for what a turgid slog of an evening this was. It was like someone put the book and every Lifetime movie trope through an AI generator and just staged whatever came out. It’s really speaking to the quality of the piece that one of the few times I laughed was a throwaway line about the dog getting liver cancer.

Long backstory? Sure. Hacky monologuing? Throw it in. A gay best friend with HIV? Go for it. Cancer galore andhollow optimism? Check!

Marguiles tries to be quirky and it’s painfully awkward. Peter Gallagher is charming as hell, but his character is cardboard. I almost pity them both. To say this was an absolutely brainless affair is a gross underestimation. I can’t see this lasting more than a few weeks and can only foresee a critical bloodbath. 

Most of the house appeared to be papered. I got a rush ticket (Orch M1 at 11:00am).

 

[Jumpin_J]

Posted: 10/17/24 at 9:14pm

HunterK said: "I went last night. Getting a Rush ticket at 12:30pm for the 7pm show.

I honestly thought it was a mess and I didn'tknow going in it was directed by Susan Stroman. The tech aspects were all over the place. Late sound cues, clunky scenery, the amount of times you could see the stage crew (not in scrubs.) You would think it was a dress rehearsal. Julianna seemed to be over acting and Peter Gallagher (who looks great) needs to lear his lines. He cut off all of the actors at some point and went blank a few times. For me, it was a RomCom made for Lifetime TV. The best part by far were the 2 absolutely amazing dogs."

I'm sorry to be the boy in The Emperor's New Clothes, but in the way of Susan Stoman's direction, to borrow from Janet Jackson, what have you done for me lately? She's got a terrible track record as a director. "But The Producers" you'd say. Remember she inherited the project when her husband died so her own influence on the show is debatable. Look, if you want a big, flashy, clever choreographed dance number, she's one of the best on Broadway. But she hasn't had a hit as a director in nearly 25 years. Why she continuously gets put on a pedestal is an absolute mystery to me. If it's true when they say you're only as good as your last show, what does the last quester of a century make it?

Updated On: 10/17/24 at 09:14 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/17/24 at 9:25pm

Jumpin_J said: "HunterK said: "I went last night. Getting a Rush ticket at 12:30pm for the 7pm show.

I honestly thought it was a mess and I didn'tknow going in it was directed by Susan Stroman. The tech aspects were all over the place. Late sound cues, clunky scenery, the amount of times you could see the stage crew (not in scrubs.) You would think it was a dress rehearsal. Julianna seemed to be over acting and Peter Gallagher (who looks great) needs to lear his lines. He cut off all of the actors at some point and went blank a few times. For me, it was a RomCom made for Lifetime TV. The best part by far were the 2 absolutely amazing dogs."

I'm sorry to be the boy in The Emperor's New Clothes, but in the way of Susan Stoman's direction, to borrow from Janet Jackson, what have you done for me lately? She's got a terrible track record as a director. "But The Producers" you'd say. Remember she inherited the project when her husband died so her own influence on the show is debatable. Look, if you want a big, flashy, clever choreographed dance number, she's one of the best on Broadway. But she hasn't had a hit as a director in nearly 25 years. Why she continuously gets put on a pedestal is an absolute mystery to me. If it's true when they say you're only as good as your last show, what does the last quester of a century make it?"

You didn’t like POTUS or The Scottsboro Boys?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/19/24 at 5:45pm

After today’s matinee, I saw Susan Stroman, John Kander and Debra Monk all hanging out in the lobby. Kander looked amazing, so was really good to see him looking so well.