Allen Barton’s Masterpiece Years to the Day Takes a Hard Look at Modern Relationships

“How the hell do you live your life unless you know who you are?”

Jeff (Jeff LeBeau) and Dan (Peter Zizzo) met each other and their later partners at the very beginning of college and have been “best friends” ever since…and yet they haven’t seen each other in person in six years. They finally meet over coffee, and it’s the precise anniversary of their last get-together in the flesh. They are in their mid-fifties, a time when a certain “rigidity” can set in for a person in terms of habits and point of view, accompanied by a “this is who I am, deal with it” attitude.

“You are the king of rudeness,” snarks Jeff as they settle in.

“You are the king of puerile, nanny-state intervention!” Dan claps back, but this “old buddy banter” is foreshadowing of the severe disconnection that is soon revealed. They discuss the “latest movie,” which Dan despises but Jeff saw twice; they debate about whether they’re middle-aged or old, and if “50 is the new 40” and how does that effect who they date.

But there’s a discomfort ever-present as the two try to slip into their old roles. The fiery Dan and the comparatively reserved Jeff come across like strangers that just happen to have known some of the same people and shared some experiences. We start to wonder immediately how these two came to be close, as their opposing energies and outlooks are brought to the table. Stunning revelations about each other’s lives come pouring out—important, life-changing, traumatic events that any close friend should have already known about. It’s clear that the notion of them having a deep connection is nonsense; their “friendship” is just a habit, and not one that they’ve cultivated in a healthy way. Jeff and Dan are on opposite sides of the political fence, but it’s never been a problem because Jeff used to downplay his beliefs; his refusal to take up the placating Avatar of old leads to a verbal explosion that nearly drives him out of the get-together. (The political climate is smartly kept vague and thus evergreen; we learn of an unnamed president that has somehow managed a third term, to Jeff’s delight and Dan’s horror.) Now that neither Jeff or Dan are “playing characters”, they find that the “actors” who brought them to life have little basis for a relationship. And yet somehow, their shared history and a genuine caring despite of all the differences just might be strong enough to lower the temperature and leave open the possibility of another meeting in the near future…maybe.

Written and directed by Barton and produced by Mia Christou, Years to The Day first premiered in 2013 to great acclaim and now makes its New York debut in a time when its themes are ever more relevant. Emmy winners LeBeau and Zizzo disappear deftly into their characters, delivering Barton’s musical, witty, rapid-fire dialogue with tremendous skill yet always appearing spontaneous in their interaction. Their body language, tense and awkward, is like another character in the play; seeing these two “buddies” barely look at each other for most of the meeting is chilling. Their unconvincing promise to “call Brenda” after a sad event for the unseen character stuns the audience; we all have a Brenda in our lives we’ve neglected. Seeing Jeff and Dan’s supposed closeness exposed as simply the product of having been in the same place at the same time is devastating as it certainly reflects reality for many in the modern world. In a time of social media false personas, fishing for “likes,” and a phone addiction that allows us to retreat at the first sign of boredom or discomfort, it becomes too easy to not even bother to cultivate a deep connection.

Hilarious, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking, Years to the Day is a must-see and a triumph for Barton, LeBeau, Zizzo and Christou.

“One thing exists at a time,” observes Dan throughout the play; it’s a simple yet astonishing declaration that will stay with you once you realize what it truly means, and the ark of Years to the Day reveals it powerfully.

Years to The Day is performed at the American Theatre of Actors through February 28, 2026.