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| Same Time, Next Year | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Bernard Slade |
| Characters | Doris, George |
| Date premiered | March 13, 1975 |
| Place premiered | Brooks Atkinson Theatre New York City |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | An extramarital affair conducted one day each year for 24 years. |
| Genre | Romantic comedy |
| Setting | A California seaside cottage One day in February 1951, 1956, 1961, 1965, 1970, and 1975. |
Same Time, Next Year is a 1975romanticcomedyplay byBernard Slade. The plot focuses on two people, married to others, who meet for a romantic tryst once a year for two dozen years.
New Jersey accountant George Peters andOakland housewife Doris meet at aNorthern California inn in February 1951. They have anaffair, and agree to meet once a year, despite the fact both are married to others and have six children between them.
There are six scenes over the course of the next 24 years which develop an emotional intimacy deeper than what one would expect to find between two people meeting for a clandestine relationship just once a year. During the time they spend with each other, they discuss the births, deaths, and marital problems each is experiencing at home, while they adapt themselves to the social changes affecting their lives. Between the six scenes are tapes (speeches, songs, sports broadcasts) of that time period that have impacted the characters.
TheBroadway production opened on March 14, 1975, at theBrooks Atkinson Theatre withEllen Burstyn as Doris andCharles Grodin as George and direction byGene Saks. It transferred to theAmbassador Theatre on May 16, 1978 and remained there until it closed on September 3 the same year. It played a total of 1,453 performances during its run.[1]
Burstyn and Grodin both gave their last performances on October 18, 1975. They were succeeded byJoyce Van Patten[2] andConrad Janis,[2] who lasted through Nov. 29, 1975, before headlining the show's first national tour, which lasted from December 2, 1975 through May 8, 1976. Next up wereLoretta Swit[3] andTed Bessell,[3] who began their run on December 2, 1975. While Swit's last performance was on June 19, 1976, Bessell continued with the play until March 6, 1977. His next leading lady wasSandy Dennis,[4] who began her run on June 21, 1976 and lasted until May 29, 1977. By the time Dennis' run was complete, she was acting oppositeDon Murray,[5] who joined the play on March 8, 1977, and lasted until January 1, 1978. Following Dennis wasHope Lange,[5] whose run spanned May 31 to October 22, 1977. After Lange cameBetsy Palmer,[6] who played Doris from October 24, 1977 until the September 3, 1978 closing date. In addition to Murray, Palmer acted oppositeMonte Markham[6] from January 3 to July 6, 1978, andCharles Kimbrough[7] from July 7 to September 3, 1978.
A second national tour, spanning August 3, 1976 through January 28, 1978, and including a six-month engagement inChicago, starredBarbara Rush andTom Troupe. ALos Angeles production from April 12, 1977 to July 2, 1977 was first headlined byCarol Burnett andDick Van Dyke, thenDiahann Carroll andCleavon Little. Finally, a bus and truck tour from January 13, 1978 to April 22, 1978 starredKathryn Crosby andTony Russel.
The originalLondon production opened in 1976, starringMichael Crawford andFrances Cuka at thePrince of Wales Theatre.[8]
The New York Times criticClive Barnes wrote: "Do not put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Get tickets forSame Time, Next Year... It is the funniest comedy about love and adultery to come Broadway's way in years."[9]
Author Bernard Slade was surprised by the play's international popularity. "I felt I was writing a fantasy. Then I started to get letters from people that had had this sort of relationship....The curious thing is how successful it was in other countries. I saw the French production, the Spanish production. In France--where how excited could they get about an extramarital affair?--the only thing they didn't quite understand were the psychiatric references."[10]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Tony Award | Best Play | Nominated | |
| Best Actress in a Play | Ellen Burstyn | Won | ||
| Best Direction of a Play | Gene Saks | Nominated | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding New Play (American) | Won | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Play | Charles Grodin | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actress in a Play | Ellen Burstyn | Won | ||
| Outstanding Director of a Play | Gene Saks | Nominated | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Ensemble Performance | Charles Grodin and Ellen Burstyn | Won | |
A1978 film adaptation directed byRobert Mulligan starredEllen Burstyn andAlan Alda. The PhiladelphiaLantern Theater Company incorporated different photo and music montages of social events 1951-1984 instead of 1951-1977 in the movie.[11]
The play also served as the basis forI for You, a 1994 film directed byHong Kong filmmakerClifton Ko.
It also served as a basis for the German TV dramaJedes Jahr im Juni.
A two-act sequel,Same Time, Another Year, was first produced in 1996 at thePasadena Playhouse, directed by the author and starringNancy Dussault andTom Troupe. It opens on the couple's 25th anniversary in 1976 and continues through their February anniversaries of 1980, 1981, 1986, 1992, and 1993.[12]Variety's review stated, "Through illnesses, career successes and setbacks, second marriages, second families, divorces and grandchildren, Doris and George meet each year to renew their affair, which itself seems forever changing and dynamic." As for the productionVariety wrote, "a few wonderful comedic moments and some memorable one-liners, but this production is generally flat, overlong and never manages to soar as high as the original."[13]