It takes a lot to pull off a one-man show of autobiographical monologues. The late Spalding Gray, a theatrical performer and performance artist best known for his 1985 play (and 1987 film of the same name) Swimming to Cambodia was one of the rare individuals who could. (Cambodia, a monologue inspired by Gray's small role in the film The Killing Fields, consists of Gray sitting behind a desk, speaking for four hours. The film version, at 85 minutes, grossed over a million dollars.) To bring Gray's monologues to life, the creators of Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell employ no fewer than five actors in their mash-up of Gray's monologues and diary entries, which premiered at the Minetta Lane Theater in New York City and which appeared at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston last weekend.Stories Left to Tell, conceived in part by Gray's widow, Kathie Russo, employed guest readers at its original inception as well as at the ICA's run, whose guest readers included novelist Claire Messud and local radio personality Christopher Lydon. Saturday night's guest reader was Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, former mayor of Providence. Director of Programs David Henry said by way of introduction that Cianci was included in the guest line-up because the museum felt it needed to include a Rhode Island-area celebrity in the performance. It was clear from the beginning of the performance why this was relevant-many of the monologues are rooted heavily in Gray's upbringing in Barrington, R.I.

Having seen little of Gray's work before attending the show on Saturday night, I came to the ICA with no expectations other than a general hunch that this performance might be something special. I was right. The production in the ICA's small theater was rather spare: There were no elaborate costumes, the set consisted of a few pieces of average-looking furniture and there were no special effects. With only a few colored lights and a sound system loaded with a few clips of music, the creators of this performance simply enhanced Gray's irreverent, honest and moving works of storytelling.

The play more or less traced the story of Gray's life in his own words. Charming lines about Gray's children and humorous stories about his adolescence mixed with more morose tales about his mother, who committed suicide after a period of mental illness. The first three quarters or so of the performance may have been funny and compelling due to the content of the monologues, but some amount of sadness overlaid the actors' upbeat words: All present were no doubt thinking of Gray's tragic 2004 suicide. Gradually, however, the performance shifted from a cheerful and moving portrait of Gray's life to a gripping, heartbreaking telling of Gray's decline into depression after a 2001 car accident in which he sustained a brain injury as well as broken bones. The theater slowly darkened as actor Ain Gordon read progressively darker entries from Gray's journal.

Then the performance took a risky turn: As the journal entries grew closer and closer to the date of Gray's death, one expected the play to end on a somber note. It seemed as though a change in tone would completely kill the effect of Gray's heartbreaking words. I hate to spoil the ending for anyone who may see this performance in the future, but suffice it to say that the four readers at the ICA Saturday night managed to turn the play around, ending on an ultimately positive and transcendent note without crossing the thin line between celebratory and cheesy.

Director Lucy Sexton said before the curtain rose that many theater-goers come to the performance with a certain expectation, given Gray's distinct style of delivery. Said a New York Times theater reviewer in an article about a 1981 Gray performance, "He is a sit-down monologuist with the comic sensibility of a stand-up comedian." In trying to describe Gray's style, I've often thought of a more engaging, sincere version of the comedian Steven Wright. It's true that, compared to Gray, the performers of Stories Left to Tell seem downright plain. However, it is that very plainness of affect that allows Gray's stirring words to truly shine forth.