‘rich, funny, and heart-rendering production’
Director Andrew Jolley brings Bernard Slade’s enigmatic script to life with this rich, funny, and heart-rendering production about the perseverance of love across the years.
Goerge (JD Justice) and Doris (Emma Lucas) meet one night over dinner which leads to a night of passion in a San Francisco hotel. With both married to other people with six children between them, they promise to meet twelve months later, beginning a romantic love affair that lasts twenty-five years as they continue their relationship every year on the same weekend at the same hotel.
Set between 1951 and 1975, we see both change exponentially over the quarter of a century, with scenes taking place every five years, with Doris presented as a feisty Italian housewife comfortably facing the situation head on, whilst George skirts round the issue using the physicality of their relationship as a distraction.
With the set effectively a never changing constant backdrop replete with bed, sofa, dressers, and piano, I liked the subtle use of prop changes to support each new timeframe with good stage management from Laura Smith and Jen Henry, and supporting sound and lighting from Georgie Grogan Morrell and Michael Bennett.
A competent wardrobe team of Anna Kalopsidiotis, Tanya Wood, and Cathy McNally presented period-specific costume changes for each scene complemented by changing hairstyles although these were perhaps more obvious for Doris, certainly in the opening half.
With scenes lasting approximately fifteen minutes and the necessity for stage adjustment and costume changes between them, Mary Clinton provided the necessary continuity with carefully chosen period music that accorded with the underlying themes and worked well in keeping the audience engaged.
Although it is sex that brings the pair together in the first instance, the script largely avoids it as well as steering clear of obvious relationship cliches. Whilst the infidelity conundrum is acknowledged, there is a deeper platform here that focuses on what are two likeable and relatable people having to come to terms with life and relationship challenges and having each other as a counterfoil, displaying strong conviction, clarity, humour, and passion across the passage of time and changing attitudes to money, life, politics, religion, and loss.
Doris makes great strides between each tryst, growing in confidence from the high school drop out without much hope to becoming a successful businesswoman. Lucas captures this well with a strong performance which embraces Doris’ quick wit and sarcasm as she strives to become a better version of herself. George largely remains the same sort of person throughout, but there are a couple of twists and unexpected layers later on that Justice competently gets to grips with. Jolley has maintained the American location and both Lucas and Justice deliver and maintain credible accents throughout.
It is tough ask for any actor to perform a two-hander set within effectively the same scene over a long period, and whilst Justice and Lucas combined well, there were perhaps some first night nerves which meant we only got glimpses of their characters’ natural warmth and chemistry to each other which sustains the relationship. I’d like to see more of that energy and frisson, and I am sure that now they have this one under their belt, they will be more relaxed for the remainder of the run.
The Carlton Players and The Little Theatre in Birkenhead have a rich theatrical history which is a cause in itself for celebration as they approach their 100th year. Further details https://www.carltonlittletheatre.co.uk/
Same Time, Next Year performs through to 14th February 2026 at 7.30pm: it’s well worth taking in.
Review Date: 11th February 2026
Star Rating: THREE