Ancient History premiered Off-Broadway in May 1989 in a production by Primary Stages, with direction by Jason McConnell Buzas and the cast of Beth McDonald and Christopher Wells.
[1] A revised edition was presented Off-Broadway by Primary Stages in June 1996, with direction by John Rando and a cast of Vivienne Benesch and Michael Rupert.
[1][2][3] New York Magazine describes Ancient History as “a genuine achievement [as] Ives spins a dance that is Strindberg with yuks … the dialogue is crunchy and saucy [as] these lovers are buffeted about circularly, hilariously, and scarily.”[4][1] The play opens with the ominous ringing of an off-stage telephone.
This pattern of rewinding and restarting the conversation in a different vein continues throughout the play whenever the unseen telephone rings.
This convention is similar to the bell ringing in Ives's previous work Sure Thing (one of six plays in the collection All in the Timing).