Groundhog Day at the Old Vic

The much-loved 1993 Bill Murray vehicle Groundhog Day – a modern day fable of Phil Connors, a cynical TV weatherman doomed to relive a day spent on assignment in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania – is not the most obvious source for a West End musical. However, thanks to a skilful collaboration between Danny Rubin (co-writer of the screenplay), musical polymath Tim Minchin (following up on debut hit Matilda), and Matthew Warchus (directing as he did on Matilda), it’s a jubilant sensation all the same.

Translation to musical theatre, of course, required a shift in tone. Thanks to Rob Howell’s luxuriant set and costume design, the vision of Punxsutawney conjured on the Old Vic’s famous stage is a more colourfully cartoonish and less gritty one than in its cinematic counterpart. In such a setting, opening musical numbers – underlining the hellish tweeness that accompanies Connors’s slow-dawning realisation that he’s stuck in an unending loop of small-town festivity – work incredibly well. Andy Karl’s portrayal of the cursed meteorologist is louder, sexier, and more agile than that seen in Murray’s sardonic masterclass of a performance, and a subtly refocused script matches it perfectly.

The real genius of the show lies in Minchin’s music and hilarious lyrics that straddle a range of genres, from spiky and angular guitar rock to heart-aching ballads with a wide span of emotion in between. Particularly well-handled is the bleak desperation that takes hold as the second half begins with our hero locked in a grim loop of repeated attempts at self-destruction. Though faithful to the source, the scathing scepticism of Minchin’s firebrand musical stand-up is also evident here (particularly in a number that expands on what is only a fleeting scene in the film to satirise quack medicine, fad therapy, and faith healing). Such darkness makes the celebratory redemption of the work’s climax all the more joyous. 

With a composer so on top of his game as to be staking a claim for legendary status, and a fantastically talented ensemble bringing his work to life on an eye-wateringly beautiful stage, Groundhog Day is a breath of fresh air – exceptionally exciting must-see musical theatre.

Stuart Boyland

Groundhog Day is at the Old Vic from 15^th July until 17^th September 2016. Book your tickets here.

Watch Tim Minchin perform Seeing You from Groundhog Day here: