Book Review: Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life

(Bought at the Strand Bookstore) I picked up Delia Ephron's memoir because she is adapting it for the stage and it will open on Broadway this fall. The book starts out as a romantic story as her husband passes away and she meets a new man. Just as everything is going great, things take a radical left turn. Like her late sister Nora, Delia is diagnosed with leukemia. Her illness takes over her life and her new relationship. Ephron writes expressively about finding love after 70 and the burden of toxic parents. She points out that anxiety and negativity have become her comfort zones because that's what she learned from her alcoholic dysfunctional parents (the writing team Henry and Phoebe Ephron) who had movie and Broadway hits, but a troubled marriage. As her illness progresses, she despairs, but her new love pulls her out of depression and into a new life. A beautiful memoir. I'm looking forward to the play and how it will work on stage. 

B'way Update: Left on Tenth, Boop!, CSC, Etc.

Juliana Margulies and
Peter Gallagher will star in
Left on Tenth.
Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews

Left on Tenth, Delia Ephron's new play based on her best-selling memoir, has announced dates, a theater and additional casting. The comedy-drama begins previews on Sept. 26 at the James Earl Jones Theater prior to an Oct. 23 opening. Joining previously announced Julianna Margulies and Peter Gallagher will be Obie winner Peter Francis James (Funny Girl, Hillary and Clinton) and Kate MacCluggage (The 39 Steps). Five-time Tony winner Susan Stroman (The Producers, Contact) will direct.

“Working on Left on Tenth has been a thrilling journey, collaborating with the incomparable Delia Ephron and bringing her story to life with the extraordinary talents of Julianna Margulies and Peter Gallagher,” said Stroman. “It's an experience that seamlessly blends the magic of her storytelling with the brilliance of these actors.”

Left on Tenth is a romantic comedy about second chances in life and love. When she least expects it, Delia, beloved novelist and screenwriter of You’ve Got Mail, makes a surprising connection 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 celebrates the messy, beautiful true story of two people with the courage to open their hearts again.

Jasmine Amy Rogers in Boop!
The Betty Boop Musical in Chicago
Credit: Matthew Murphy/Evan Zimmerman

Boop!: Boop! The Betty Boop Musical will open on Broadway in April 2025 at a Shubert theater TBA after a hit run in Chicago last year. Based on the Max Fleischer cartoon character of the 1930s, Boop! features a book by Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), music by David Foster, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead (Jelly's Last Jam), and direction and choreography by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots).

CSC Season: CSC has announced its season for 2024-25. First up is Our Class, Tadeusz Slobodzianek's drama of ten classmates--five Catholic and five Jewish--over several tumultous decades, seen last season at BAM presented by Arlekin Players Theater (Sept. 12-Nov. 3). Arlekin Players continue with a revival of The Merchant of Venice, starring Drama Desk winner Richard Topol as Shylock (Nov. 22-Dec. 22). Igor Golyak directs both.

In the spring, CSC presents a revival of Alice Childress' Wine in the Wilderness, originally scheduled for spring 2024. Tony winning actress La Chanze makes her directorial debut of this 1969 work about a Harlem artist and the woman who inspires him (March-April).

In May-June 2025, CSC will co-present with NAATCO and Transport Group, a revival of William Inge's 1955 Bus Stop about a group of strangers stranded in a Midwestern diner during a snowstorm, with an all-Asian cast. The 1955 production starred Kim Stanley and Elaine Stritch. Marilyn Monroe and Don Murray headlined the 1956 film version. The last Broadway revival was in 1996 and starred Billy Crudup and Mary-Louise Parker.

B'way Update: Delia Ephron Memoir on Stage

Delia Ephron

Producer Daryl Roth announced that Delia Ephron (You've Got Mail) will make her Broadway playwriting debut with Left on Tenth, based on her best-selling memoir, to be directed by Tony winner Susan Stroman (The Producers, Contact) and starring Emmy winner Juliana Margulies and SAG winner Peter Gallagher. The production is scheduled for fall 2024 with dates and a theater to be announced. Left on Tenth chronicles Ephron's second chance at love. When she least expects it, Delia Ephron, best-selling novelist and screenwriter of You've Got Mail, makes a surprising connection with a man from her past and falls into her own romantic comedy. As their immediate spark blossoms into a love story that seems to defy all odds, Delia’s life takes an unexpected turn. Left on Tenth tells the messy, beautiful truth about getting older while feeling young, as it celebrates two people with the courage to rewrite their futures and open their hearts again.

“I am grateful and thrilled to be working with these champions of theater – Susan Stroman and Daryl Roth,” said Delia Ephron. “Left on Tenth is about a perilous and wondrous time of my life. We invite you to join our team of warriors and become believers yourselves.”

Juliana Marguiles and Peter Gallagher

“When Delia first spoke to me about her manuscript of Left on Tenth, I felt that her story would make a magnificent play,” said Producer Daryl Roth. “It is heartfelt, deeply personal yet universal, and full of hope. But it is also a classic romantic comedy for a certain generation, showing us that we can all be blessed with a second chance at life and love.”

With her sister Nora, Ephron co-authored the Off-Broadway play, Love, Loss and What I Wore. Her many movie credits – often co-written with her sister Nora -- include You’ve Got Mail, Michael, and Hanging Up, based on her novel.