More Theater Monday - Left on Tenth & Teeth

We received complimentary tickets to Left on Tenth for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Left on Tenth

Where: James Earl Jones Theatre

              138 W. 48th St.

              New York, NY 

Who: Recommended for Ages 10 and Up

When: Through February 2, 2024

Left on Tenth is the story of writer and producer, Delia Ephron, based on her memoir of the same name. It tells of how she found love again after the death of her first husband from cancer and how she found new life again after her own bout with the disease. Delia is played by Julianna Margulies. who is best known for her roles in TV's ER and The Good Wife. As both the main character and narrator, she is warm, and inviting, and makes the audience feel welcome into her story. Peter Gallagher plays Peter Rutter, the man Delia falls in love with. He is full of charm and charisma and it is no surprise that Delia would fall for him surely any woman would.  

The human cast is completed by Peter James Francis and Kate MacCluggage. The pair swivel in and out of several diverse roles and do an excellent job of making each distinct and different. There are also a couple of adorable dogs in the show who even get to take curtain calls. Despite the element of cuteness and aw! added by the dogs, the show is clearly not for children due to its subject matter.

The story is a little slow getting started. There is way too much exposition at the beginning. It picks up a little when the two main characters begin exchanging emails. Once they meet it hits its stride and fully draws the audience in because, despite the heaviness of some of its subject matter, which some may find triggering,  it is a sweet and touching story at heart.

And that's our view. For more about Left on Tenth or to purchase tickets, visit leftontenthbroadway.com

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We were received complimentary tickets to Teeth for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own. This is an adapted version of an early post which has been amended as necessary to fit the current production.

What: Teeth

Where: New World Stages

             340 W. 50th St.

             New York, NY 

Who: Recommended for Ages 14 and Up

Teeth, based on the movie of the same name, is not a show for the fainthearted. It is full of blood, gore, and even dismemberment even more so now that has transferred to a bigger stage than previously. It includes theatrical fog & haze, strobe effects, extreme amounts of theatrical blood and gore, pyrotechnics, intense violence including sexual violence and other sexual content, and adult language. Accordingly, if any of these things bother you, you will want to avoid it.  It also treats religion quite sardonically which also may offend some people. Others, however, will be drawn to it because of its extremely female-powered center.

The show revolves around a young girl named Dawn, who has been raised extremely piously. She discovers she has teeth in her nether regions, and when men try to hurt her she can bite back with a vengeance. At first, frightened and confused by her newfound dominance, she quickly embraces it. 

Propelled by a hard-driving score and loaded with vigorous choreography, the show is filled with a fierce intensity that never lets up.  Alyse Alan Louis is excellent in the role of Dawn. She so skillfully manages her character's transformation from a somewhat awkward insecure girl to a fierce warrior that it feels like they are two completely different people both of whom she plays brilliantly. Plus, her singing is effortless. This is clearly her show and she takes charge of it. 

A new addition to the cast in the current production is Andy Karl who is savage in his portrayal of the fire and brimstone preacher who rules his flock with an iron hand and sometimes a belt. While the characters he plays always seem to have an edge, this one is razor-sharp and lacks the innate goodness of most of his previous characters. 

This is undoubtedly not a show that everyone can appreciate. Although some parts of it are hard to take for anyone, other parts, some might find somewhat cathartic and/or oddly comforting, especially in light of recent events.

And that's our view. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit teeththemusical.com

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

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Photo credits: 

All Teeth production photos by Valerie Terranova

All Left on Tenth production photos by Joan Marcus

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us here, and we will look into the matt