May 5, 2012
BY PAT DONNELLY, THE GAZETTE, MAY 5, 2012Read the article
Canadian playwright Bernard Slade wrote his witty take on adultery, Same Time, Next Year, back in 1975 when the sexual revolution was at its peak, AIDS was not known to exist and the earworm theme from the 1965 film Dr. Zhivago still rode the airwaves. (Lara was not the poet's wife.)
Within the context of its time, this tale of annual trysts between two married people was more comforting than disturbing. It assured people that long-term affairs, just like marriages, develop their own routines - becoming a kind of parallel union or bigamous bond in which conversation is as important as the illusion of no-strings-attached sex.
Although it has elements of farce (the romantic French kind rather than the naughty British variety), Same Time, Next Year reflects on time and the evolving nature of North American society while offering two juicy roles requiring masterful acting skills. (Ellen Burstyn won a Tony in the Broadway play before starring in the film.)
Last presented at the Segal Centre (then known as the Saidye Bronfman Centre) about 30 years ago, Same Time, Next Year has since been performed widely in Quebec summer theatre, at Theatre Lac Brome, Echo Art Theatre, The Piggery, Village Theatre in Hudson (twice), and many, many times in French.
Actors never tire of doing it, audiences love it and overexposed reviewers, such as myself, get won over time and time again. The production that just opened at the Segal Centre, starring R.H. Thomson and Michelle Giroux is the best I've ever seen.
For one thing, director Diana Leblanc has come up with an imaginative solution to the play's major drawback: necessary blackouts that allow costume changes to indicate the passage of time. Rather than add a comedic chamber maid to fluff the pillows as others have done, she has brought in projection designer (George Allister) who has created collages of images of each era, from 1951 to 1975, accompanied by aptly chosen tunes and sound bites. These nostalgic interludes featuring Buick ads, shots of Marilyn Monroe and Expo '67 are almost as interesting as the play.
As always, however, it's the acting that matters most. Although I had qualms about the nearly 30-year gap between Thomson and Giroux, skills are what matter most. Giroux, who once played a notable Lady Bracknell during her National Theatre School days, has always been good at aging up, while Thomson, at 64, remains a credible temptation to womankind as well as one of the country's finest actors.
His George is a lovably insecure hypocrite with a mile-wide streak of human decency. He briefly swings to the right after his son is killed in Vietnam but gradually becomes a laid-back California lefty with a butterfly embroidered on his blue jeans.
It's Doris, however, who goes through the most radical transformations, from uneducated housewife to Berkley University hippie to hard-nosed businesswoman. They're always a bit out of sync with each other. She's into antiwar demonstrations when he's voting Republican. Yet they always find common ground and conversation. Giroux deftly registers the highs and lows of a complicated situation.
For a funny, intelligent piece of date-night theatre that's satisfying like a good meal in your favourite restaurant, look no further. This is it.
Same Time, Next Year, by Bernard Slade, at the Segal Centre through May 20. Call 514-739-7944 or visit www. segalcentre.org
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