“Now and Then” presented by Hampton Theatre Company

Sean Grennan’s comedy/drama “Now and Then” will inaugurate the Hampton Theatre Company’s 40th season this fall. The production will be the 133^rd in the history of the HTC, which has delivered a wide variety of comedies, dramas and musicals to East End audiences since its founding in 1984.

Originally produced at the Peninsula Players Theatre in Wisconsin in June 2018, “Now and Then” examines the costs of the life choices we make, as well as the people who make them with us. The play opens inside a neighborhood bar in 1981 during last call, as a young bartender and aspiring musician named Jamie is closing for the night. A last-minute customer (The Man) rushes in, offering Jamie and his girlfriend Abby an offer they can’t refuse: a lucrative payday just to share a drink.

As the trio swap stories, Jamie finds himself reconsidering the decisions he’s made about his musical career and his future with Abby. Eventually, the young couple realize that this older man is unusually invested in their choices – and the reason he gives seems utterly incredible. But when a second, visibly disgruntled stranger (The Woman) arrives, the unbelievable begins to look like it just might be true.

The cast of “Now and Then” includes four talented actors, two of whom are making their Hampton Theatre Company debuts: Kate Brady as Abby, Jamie’s girlfriend and presumptive soulmate; and Stephanie L. Moreau as The Woman, who completes the quartet onstage via a mysterious and provocative entrance. Rounding out the cast is Dayne Rasmussen (who made his HTC debut this spring in “Strictly Murder”) as Jamie, who sees his current position as a sidestep to becoming a full-time musician, and John L. Payne (Richard in HTC’s “Time Stands Still” in 2015) as The Man, whose over-the-top offer to Jamie and Abby may or may not be a harbinger of change for the couple

Directing “Now and Then” is Mary Powers, who returned to the HTC after a three-decade hiatus in March to direct the theatre’s critically acclaimed production of “Strictly Murder.” Set design is by Meg Sexton; lighting design by Sebastian Paczynski; sound design by Meg Sexton; and costumes by Teresa Lebrun.

Two “talkbacks” with the cast will be offered to ticketholders immediately following the October 25 and November 1 Friday-evening performances.