Florida Weekly Reviews “Same Time, Next Year”

At the Players Circle Theater, “Same Time, Next Year” is running from May 19 to June 7, and debuted on Broadway in 1975, marking the finale of the theater’s main season.

The romantic comedy follows two actors: a housewife, Doris, played by Kimberly Suskind and an accountant, George Peters, played by AJ Mendini, who meet at an inn and agree to meet once a year after having an affair.

“(Doris) begins the play as a young woman who is a naive housewife and mother full of innocence and throughout the play we see her growth, intelligence, strength and maturity as she continues to find identity in an evolving world and country,” said Suskind.

Because the theater is an intimate local organization, everyone has a keystone job that is vital to maintaining it. Some actors, like Suskind, who is also the Director of Education, have taken on more than one to support the playhouse.

“Players Circle is a small but mighty team,” said Suskind. “Most of us that are on salary, such as myself, hold more than one position within the company. A typical Tuesday, for example, begins with a company staff meeting in the morning, followed by a full day of rehearsal. When we get home, we run lines and catch up on correspondence. As the Theater’s Director of Education, I may need to answer questions or plan events for our education program throughout the day as well.”

Suskind has had a passion for the arts and has been acting since she was six years old.

“After performing in my first production, I got the theater bug and it’s never left me,” said Suskind. “I have absolutely fallen in love with ‘Same Time, Next Year.’ I love the role of Doris and the writing and growth it provides the actor has been so rewarding and fulfilling.”

To earn a role in the show, Suskind and Mendini, along with other potential actors, auditioned to find which role they fit best.

“Auditioning is a necessary and important part of the art of theater,” said Suskind. “Although it can be stressful for actors, I’m very fortunate to work at Players Circle. They utilize an ensemble of actors so auditioning can look very different. We are taken in mind when the theater leadership pick the seasons. We may be asked to read for multiple roles in the season before being offered the roles we best fit.”

Ted Wioncek III is the Associate Artistic Director at Players Circle Theater. He plays an important role in scheduling the theater’s productions for the year ahead.

“‘Same Time, Next Year’ is one of those rare plays that feels timeless no matter when you experience it,” said Wioncek. “At its core, it’s about connection, growth, love, and the complicated ways people change over decades, all themes that still resonate deeply today.”

In the performance, both characters meet once a year for 25 years, shown in six scenes over the course of two hours and fifteen minutes.

“For Players Circle, it also felt like the perfect opportunity to showcase two incredibly strong actors in an intimate, character-driven piece where the storytelling truly lives in the performances,” Wioncek said. ” Kimberly Suskind and AJ Mendini bring tremendous warmth, humor, vulnerability, and chemistry to these roles, and we knew this play would allow audiences to really connect with them on a personal level.”

During rehearsals for the performance, which had been continuous for three weeks leading up to opening night, both Suskind and Mendini had time to read into the characters and come up with an applause-worthy act.

“Because the play spans more than two decades, a major focus of rehearsals wasn’t just learning lines or staging scenes,” Wioncek said. “It was building the emotional and physical evolution of these characters over time. Kimberly and AJ spent a great deal of time developing how their characters mature, how their relationship shifts year after year, and even how subtle things like posture, speech patterns, energy, and humor evolve between each scene.”

The actors’ friendships outside the theater also add to their performances, as a large part of acting involves the sense of camaraderie among actors. The amount of time they spend together, through rehearsals, performances and everything in between, pushes the show further.

“AJ and I are best friends, so the trust we have with each other just ends up resulting in having a blast and feeling free to play and grow through every rehearsal,” Suskind said.

Friendship ultimately carries over into the live performance and adds a strong feeling of reality to the show.

“Another important aspect is the chemistry and trust between Kimberly Suskind and AJ Mendini,” said Wioncek. “Since the play relies entirely on these two characters carrying the audience through 25 years of life together, the success of the production truly depends on the authenticity and connection between the performers. Trust me, they’ve created something very special together.”

As time moves forward within the production, culture and the world around them also shift. In the Broadway rendition of the play, audio is heard as the play transitions to a new scene, marking the time periods the characters are in.

“Our production leans heavily into that passage of time through carefully crafted period transitions, music, projections, costume evolution, and shifting emotional tone,” said Wioncek. “Each scene captures not only where the characters are in their lives, but also the feeling of the era they’re living in, from the optimism of the 1950s to the cultural and emotional turbulence of the 1960s and 1970s.”

Because of the way the play centers on the two characters, audiences will be able to see how they shift their perspectives on life and adapt to social change as the play unfolds.

“One of the most unique aspects of the production is how audiences essentially watch an entire relationship unfold across 25 years while only seeing the couple one day each year,” said Wioncek. “That structure creates something incredibly theatrical. The audience fills in the emotional gaps between meetings while simultaneously watching America, culture, music, and social values evolve around them.”

While the show itself is classified as a romantic comedy, the story progressively becomes more emotionally layered and transitions into more.

“This is the kind of theatrical experience that reminds audiences why live theater matters,” Wioncek said. “It is filled with humor, humanity, and moments that stay with you long after the final curtain.”

Players Circle Theater is located at 13211 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers. For more information, call 239-800-3292.