AS TIMES GOES BY To Be Presented by Players Ring
The production is written by G. Matthew Gaskell and directed by Jamie Bradley.
AS TIME GOES BYis set to open at the Players Ring on Sept. 18, and is the theatre’s premier production for its 2026-27 Mainstage Season. Written by G. Matthew Gaskell and directed by Jamie Bradley, the play is about time travel, comedy and heart.
"When we build a season, there are so many things to consider,” said The Ring’s Executive Director Margherita Giacobbi. “You're constantly looking for balance: between genres and styles, between classics and contemporary work, between intimate stories and larger ones, between light and dark. What we've also learned is that the season opener has to be something special. And this time we’re doing it with an original play.”
“It's possible because it's directed by Jamie Bradley, another beloved theatre maker in our community,” she said. “And it's possible because we're assembling a truly stellar team of actors and creatives.”
“As Time Goes By” isn't a world premiere – it was first presented by the Seacoast Repertory Theatre nearly 10 years ago.
“But you know what happens at The Ring,” Giacobbi said. “Whatever touches our stage becomes something new. Something different. That's the beauty of theatre: the same story, in different hands, becomes an entirely new vision and experience."
An inexplicable visitor from the future, Billy arrives with one mission: to prevent young Susie Peabody and her fiancé Tommy Brady from spending this one particular night together. Why? Because if they do, the consequences could ripple across time itself. Determined to keep fate on track, Billy risks tearing a hole in the space-time continuum as he repeatedly intervenes in the lives of the Peabody family.
The idea came from both Gaskell’s and Bradley’s love for time travel.
“There are elements that changed from the show at the Seacoast Rep,” Gaskell said. “The characters and basic story are still the same but I made some adjustments to Billy’s journey and the ‘science’ aspect of the plot, which meant reworking a few scenes. If anyone out there enjoys my work, but hasn’t seen this, get a ticket. Of all my scripts, this is the one I am most proud of.”
“Every time I direct, there's an underlying inspiration from sitcoms. ‘Filmed before a live studio audience’ is the mantra that runs through my head,” he said. “At the end of the day, my goal is to entertain. I always say the audience is the most important part of a production, and I just want them to leave entertained.”
Bradley directed the play at the Seacoast Rep almost 10 years ago, and noted that the Players Ring is a very different space.
“...this time around, I want to create a world that's more realistic and honest. Even though it's an outrageous circumstance, the truth is that they're a real family with real feelings. I want the audience to feel like they're actually in the Peabody living room getting ready to have dinner with the family.”
The cast includes Kevin Mahaney, Sierra Cummings, Noah J. Fox, Philip Hobby, Heather Howe, and Holden King-Farbstein. Set and Light Design is by Ben Bagley; Set Construction by Joshua Mills; Props by Elise O’Connell; Costumes by Kelli Connors, and Sound Design by Andrew Cameron. Stage Managers are Kate Dugas, Catharine Davis and Kevin Baringer.
Giacobbi hopes that audiences will be so excited that they will choose to become subscribers and enjoy the 8 Mainstage productions from September through June.
AS TIME GOES BY will run Sept. 18 through Oct.11. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Players Ring, 105 Marcy Street, Portsmouth NH.General Admission: $33; Seniors (65+)/Students/Veterans/First Responders: $31
This play is included in The Ring’s subscription packages. Visit www.playersring.org for more information and to purchase tickets.
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