Jacqueline Emerson, Jonah Robinson and Emily Nash (Photo by Ashley Emerson)
Reviewed by Joel Beers
The Colony Theatre
Through October 19
It’s a cozy night in a New York apartment, and Charlotte seems to have it all: an executive job at a growing boutique ad agency, dramatic skyline views, her favorite film, “Casablanca” queued up, her favorite ice cream on hand, and — best of all — her loving husband, Ben.
Only problem? Ben died five years ago on what was supposed to be the happiest day of Charlotte’s life.
But that hasn’t stopped him from living rent-free in Charlotte’s head. She sees him, talks to him, and clings to the illusion — and her blood-splattered wedding gown — so tightly that she barely eats, rarely leaves the apartment unless it’s for work and certainly doesn’t seriously date. Why would she? Her ghostly marriage still feels alive.
That’s the setup for Tamara Steren’s romantic comedy I’ll Give You My Heart, making its world premiere at The Colony Theatre.
Charlotte (Jacqueline Emerson, grounded and compelling) needs help. Her childhood friend, co-worker and emotional caregiver Pippa (Emily Nash, warm and whip-smart) takes it upon herself to drag, nudge, or flat-out shove Charlotte back into the world of the living. Enter Sam (a splendid Jeremy S. Walker) — a job candidate who strolls into the office radiating confidence, charm, and an almost spooky awareness of Charlotte’s favorite flowers, desserts, and movies.
Pippa sees destiny. Sam, who’s defied dire health prognoses since childhood, feels the same spark. And Charlotte? Well, she’s intrigued — when she’s not busy bantering with the invisible-to-everyone-else Ben (Jonah Robinson) or suffering panic attacks when she sees him outside her apartment. Their “non-date dates” are awkward, funny and edgy, but for the first time in years, Charlotte seems open to possibility.
Steren, an award-winning screenwriter making her playwriting debut, isn’t out to write the Great American Play. What she’s crafted is smaller and sweeter: an intimate, tender story laced with humor, melancholy, and the ache of moving on.
Director James Mellon keeps the tone buoyant even amid the intense emotionality, and while the supporting characters (played by Jon Root and Heather Lee) veer toward caricature, Lee’s delightfully loopy psychiatrist is comic gold.
Stern dispatches the obvious “Ghost” comparison early with a clever Patrick Swayze nod, then leans into what makes this story her own. Even when the Big Reveal explaining Sam’s uncanny intuition borders on cosmic coincidence, it lands — because by then, we’re invested.
I’ll Give You My Heart isn’t about miracles, fate, or billion-to-one chances. It’s about the messier kind of personal resurrection — the sort that comes from loss, letting go and what can often feel like the most difficult decision of all: taking a chance on life.
Colony Theatre, 555 North 3rd St., Burbank. Fri., 8 pm, Sat., 2 pm and 8 pm, Sun., 3 pm; thru Oct. 19. www.colonytheatre.org. Running time: 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.
