Ingeniously crafted, deliciously funny, and warmly uplifting, Groundhog Day the Musical is modern musical theatre at its sophisticated best.
With the original smash hit London 2016 season having won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, Groundhog Day the Musical went on to play on Broadway in 2017, again starring Best Actor winner Andy Karl. Karl was back as scornfully arrogant weatherman Phil Connors in London last year, where a return season could be seen as a warm-up for this Australian premiere.
Not just a follow-up for Aussie composer and lyricist Tim Minchin, Groundhog Day the Musical also sees the return of a slew of creatives from Matilda the Musical, including director and developer Matthew Warchus, set and costume designer Rob Howell, lighting designer Hugh Vanstone, and illusion designer Paul Kieve.
Despite the shared pedigree, this is far from another family-friendly musical. By turns witty, charming, and affecting, the book by Danny Rubin, based on the iconic 1993 movie he co-wrote with director Harold Ramis, places the action squarely in the world of adult relations. Written before the #MeToo movement, the unselfconsciously sexist actions of Phil are actually somewhat jarring, much as there are plenty of pay-offs and lessons learnt along the way.
Capably supported again by orchestrator and musical supervisor Christopher Nightingale, Minchin reaches new heights of artistic creativity here, collaborating closely with Rubin to create a perfectly integrated piece of musical theatre. There are mere seconds of the show that do not have music playing. Inspired by the concept of Phil’s reaction to the repeated events of each Groundhog Day, Minchin and Nightingale riff on the opening tunes to present fascinating musical variations that cleverly alter each time to reflect Phil’s mood.
While there is a strong crowd-pleasing vibe to the musical, Minchin and Rubin show full respect for audience intelligence. Potentially interpreted as an allegory about mental health issues, the endlessly recurring day represents Phil feeling trapped in a depressive state, a condition he does not leave until he eventually learns to use the time in humane and constructive ways, finally deriving the energy he needs from the positive and grateful reactions of others.
Director Warchus keeps action at a lively clip, the audience held in rapt attention throughout. A trademark of his direction, Warchus works with Kieve to deliver some truly gasp-worthy how-did-they-do-that stage tricks. A car chase seen from overhead is just one of the delightful and surprising sequences.
While the story is tightly focused on Phil, his producer associate producer, Rita Hanson, and his old friend Ned Ryerson, there is a delightfully eclectic mix of characters within the ensemble, and it is impressive to see how many small stories are deftly told by the end of the show.
Picking up on the snowy setting, Howell delivers a series of wittily constructed collages of small screens that are laid out like a snowflake. Colourful costuming helps delineate the multiple personalities amongst the merry townsfolk of Punxsutawney.
Karl remains in peak form, bringing sufficient likeable charm to cover the initial obnoxious boorishness of Phil and then neatly moving onto an affecting state of vulnerability as Phil’s brash confidence gradually wears down.
A gifted singing actress, Elise McCann more than holds her own as Rita, cultivating warm sparks of chemistry with Karl. Reliving the same day, Rita has none of the character arc of Phil, and yet McCann ensures that Rita’s journey through her responses to the growth in Phil is just as interesting.
Tim Wright initially gives Ned Ryerson a light Ned Flanders vibe, later delivering an emotional wallop when a deeper aspect is revealed to the generally awkward fellow.
Looking suitably glossy, Ashleigh Rubenach also reveals more to her character when sweet local girl Nancy Taylor steps into a spotlight to reveal her inner life in act two opener “Playing Nancy.”
One of Australia’s best actresses, Alison Whyte is inexplicably wasted under a little old lady wig as B&B proprietor Mrs Lancaster.
Ensemble players are uniformly strong; vocal performances, in particular, are at an absolute premium.
Melbourne is home to legion lovers of musical theatre and there is every reason that they should flock to this memorable Australian premiere season of Groundhog Day the Musical. So clever is the concept that even those odd folk who claim not to like musicals would be very likely to enjoy it.
Groundhog Day the Musical plays at Princess Theatre, Melbourne until7 April 2024. For tickets, click here.
Man in Chair reviewed the Broadway season of Groundhog Day the Musical.
Photos: Jeff Busby