Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck
‘A Must-See’
Life is full of surprises. What can spring from the journey of two friends, who get together for coffee after six years of being absent from each other’s life, is in all sincerity a great indication that time has not existed for them. JEFF played by Jeff LeBeau, and DAN played by Peter Zizzo, went over the past six years of their lives, touching upon the experiences with their families and changes that occurred, their feelings about relationships, politics, and life in general. From the very first moment their conversation started, we can clearly see the characters they embodied, and the precise actions and reactions which reveal furthermore the precision this play has been entrusted with. Every subject they talked about had a lot of momentous and emotional moments.
I love the way this story played out. Empty stage with only one table and two chairs, and two phenomenal actors who are not shy to show their emotions, passions, and disappointments, make this story come alive to its fullest. They hardly move but find the positions to go over their concerns and discoveries and reveal their emotions for ‘Six Years to the Day’ with an obvious fact that their discussions have always been juicy, and full of contradictive arguments.
YEARS TO THE DAY by Allen Barton (writer/director) returned to the Beverly Hills Playhouse for another run. It originally premiered in 2013 on this very stage, with none other than Jeff LeBeau playing “Jeff” opposite Michael Yavnieli’s playing “Dan”, and it was directed by Joel Polis. It ended up being the most successful play in terms of performances. In the years since, it has been performed in a dozen cities across three continents and two languages (a Greek translation was performed in Athens).
“Years To The Day is a great and relevant work: wild, meaningful, and hysterical. Superb performances throughout this unforgettable, universal 80-minute Barton masterpiece. It deserves the best.
Brilliantly directed by Allen Barton and produced by multitalented Mia Christou, the play is nothing else but pure success. Every moment is played out with so much enthusiasm and beaming theatre craft. Christou, who is such a busy lady (with teaching, acting, directing and producing), also doesn’t waste time, but besides working at her own stardom, focuses on creating ‘Stars’ with every play she touches.
The Creatives are Set Design – Mia Christou and Collin Bernsen, Lighting Design – Derrick McDaniel, Stage Manager is David Bello, Graphic Design is Visible Ink. Special thanks to Bailey Williams and Esther Treadway. Publicity & Marketing is in the hands of Sandra Kuker PR (Sandra Kuker-Franco). Photography by Katerina Kim Podell.
The run of at Beverly Hills Playhouse, located at 254 South Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA, YEARS TO THE DAY (Main Stage) ends November 30th with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 7:00pm. Tickets are $35.00 / $15.00 Students. Running Time is 80 minutes – including Intermission. For information and tickets: www.bhplayhouse.com or call 310-620-1134.