A Long-Term Limited Annual Affair
Reviewed by Mary Alderson
Remember the 1978 movie Same Time, Next Year, with Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn? It was a fun movie, lots of laughs with several touching moments. It received four Academy Award and four Golden Globe nominations, with Ellen Burstyn winning a Golden Globe. But did you know that before it hit the big screen, it was a stage play and ran on Broadway in 1975, where Ellen Burstyn won a Tony award. Her co-star was Charles Grodin.
I have been a life-long avid theatre-goer, a theatre reviewer for 22 years, and a fan of the Same Time, Next Year movie. But surprisingly I have never seen the play on stage until now! I read that it is the most produced two-hander (meaning only two characters) in Canada. Maybe there aren’t that many two-handers presented. For comparison purposes, I have seen the one-hander, Shirley Valentine, five times.
But I still can’t figure out why I haven’t seen Same Time, Next Year. Fortunately, it is currently running at the beautiful outdoor Grove Theatre in Fenelon Falls, giving me the chance to see this funny, sweet play. It closely follows the movie telling the same great story.
What makes it even better is the cast: Gabi Epstein and Jeremy Lapalme are excellent in the roles, and it’s especially fun when you know that they are a married couple in real life.
The pair are hilarious in The Grove’s Spamalot, with the two shows on stage on different dates. And as if they didn’t have enough lines to learn for Spamalot, there is so much dialogue to learn in Same Time, Next Year. As true professional actors, they are handling it in stride.
If you aren’t familiar with the movie or the play, the story follows George, an accountant from New Jersey, and Doris, a California housewife, who meet over dinner at an inn, where George comes each year to see a client. When the play opens, the two are in bed together. Here we learn that both are married to other people, apparently happily, and have six kids between them. George is wracked by guilt. Doris, who is supposed to be joining nuns on a retreat, is more pragmatic. But then, George professes his love for her, calling her Dorothy. The audience loves it when she corrects him, quietly saying her name is Doris.
Unlike the movie, the Grove Theatre doesn’t tell us what year it is. But Google says their first encounter is in 1951, and after that, they meet every year. The play, however, shows us what’s happening every 5th year or so, spanning 25 years, so we see the couple six different times. The play becomes a celebration of adultery. They talk about their spouses, sharing good and bad stories about them. They show respect for their marriages, while keeping their affair alive.
It is interesting to watch clothing styles and hairdos change and hearing about what is happening politically, making the play a lesson in fashion and history. The play offers a nostalgia trip, carrying the audience back to the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
Fun fact: The playwright, Bernard Slade, was born in St. Catharines, Ontario. He moved to Hollywood and his resume includes writing for popular TV shows such as The Partridge Family, The Flying Nun and Bewitched. Also, interesting to note, Slade was married to Canadian actress Jill Foster for 64 years, raising two children. However, he so cleverly created these two interesting characters – it makes one wonder if he had an annual affair.
Director (and also Artistic Director and Co-Founder of The Grove Theatre) Sean Cox is to be congratulated for his inspired casting and creating a very funny show. Epstein and Lapalme have perfect comedic timing throughout. And while their time on stage is fast-paced, there are lulls when they are off stage changing costumes and Epstein’s many gorgeous wigs. Those will, no doubt, speed up as they have more practice.
The script is filled with hilarious, laugh-out-loud one-liners, but it also has heart. When bad news is revealed suddenly, the entire audience holds their breath after the shocking moment. It’s the combination of a script full of humour and love, and a pair of actors who perfectly convey it, that makes this show a hit. Don’t miss it.
Same Time, Next Year continues in repertory, at The Grove Theatre, 27 Veterans Way, Fenelon Falls, ON, until August 28, 2026. Visit https://www.grovetheatre.ca/ or contact boxoffice@grovetheatre.ca for tickets.
Photo: to come
Same Time, Next Year
By Bernard Slade
Directed by Sean Cox
Performed by Gabi Epstein and Jeremy Lapalme
The Grove Theatre, Fenelon Falls
July 20 to August 28, 2026
Reviewed by Mary Alderson