Review: Same Time, Next Year

Review: Same Time, Next Year |Bailey Theatre Company | Bailey, CO | Curtain Up! | Eric Fitzgerald | October 14, 2025

Staged against the rustic charm of the Glen Isle Resort in Bailey, Colorado, Bailey Theatre Company’s production of Same Time, Next Year, winningly directed by Johnathan Underwood, is a tender triumph of timing, chemistry, and emotional nuance.

By all logic, this production shouldn’t have worked. It’s set in a venue that’s not a theatre, perched at the end of a slightly hair-raising, 50-mile mountain drive that feels more suited to ghost stories than romantic comedies. Staged at the Glen Isle Resort, it offers no proscenium, no black box, no conventional lighting grid—just creaky floorboards, rustic charm, and the kind of intimacy you can’t fake. And yet, against all odds, Same Time, Next Year blooms here, proving that heart, craft, and chemistry can thrive anywhere, even in the wilds of Colorado.

Written by Bernard Slade, Same Time, Next Year premiered on Broadway in 1975 and quickly became one of the most beloved romantic comedies of the 20th century. The play follows George (Joaquin Aviña), a New Jersey accountant, and Doris (Maya Ferrario), a housewife from Oakland, who meet by chance at a Northern California inn in 1951. Despite both being married to other people, they begin an affair—agreeing to meet at the same place, on the same weekend, every year. The play unfolds over six scenes spanning 24 years, each capturing a different era in American life and in the characters’ personal growth.

Both Ferrario and Aviña deliver standout performances, navigating the emotional terrain of decades-long intimacy with wit, warmth, and aching vulnerability. Their chemistry is palpable, shifting seamlessly from playful banter to moments of quiet devastation. Each scene reveals new layers—of character, of history, of heart—and together, they make the passage of time feel both inevitable and deeply personal.

Under the deft direction of Johnathan Underwood, Same Time, Next Year unfolds with warmth, wit, and emotional precision. He guides the decades-spanning romance with a light touch and a keen eye for nuance, allowing the humor to land without undercutting the heartbreak. Each scene feels both intimate and expansive, capturing the shifting tides of history and human connection with clarity and grace.

The setup for this production invites instant intimacy—the acting space is mere inches from the audience, collapsing any emotional distance and placing the story quite literally in their laps. Allen Jones’s set design is functional and evocative, though a touch more visual evolution over the decades might have deepened the sense of time passing. Johnathan Underwood’s costuming for Doris reflects thoughtful period shifts, while George remains largely unchanged—a choice that may speak to his emotional stasis, though it risks feeling static. Still, these are gentle quibbles in a production that thrives on connection over polish.

Bailey Theatre Company’s Same Time, Next Year is a testament to what can happen when heartfelt performances meet inspired direction in an unconventional space. Johnathan Underwood’s staging transforms the Glen Isle Resort’s rustic charm into an unexpectedly perfect backdrop for this decades-spanning romance, drawing the audience into every laugh, confession, and quiet revelation. With standout performances from Ferrario and Aviña, the production finds intimacy not in grandeur, but in proximity, honesty, and craft. It plays through October 19—and it’s well worth the winding drive.

Information and tickets: https://www.baileytheatrecompany.org/