Old Vic Theatre (studio)
08 June 2023 (released)
10 June 2023
Here we are again. And maybe things this time will be better. After a sensational run at the Old Vic in 2016 and then a flop transfer to Broadway, the musical Groundhog Day returns once more to…the Old Vic.
Wil history repeat itself? The show, as per the film, is predicated on the story of Phil, a TV weatherman who lacks pretty much every social grace. When not being grumpy, sarcastic or cynical, he is verbally abusive to anyone who he doesn’t want to sleep with. An assignment to
cover Groundhog Day in small-town Punxsutawney, Philadelphia promises to be an in-and-out until fate intervenes, leaving Phil to relive that day over and over while others around him are oblivious to his torture.
Whether it is karma, fate or some deity with a sense of humour, we never find out but the quality that generated that truckload of reviews seven years ago is still here. The trio behind Matilda (musician Tim Minchin, director Mathew Warchus and writer Danny Rubin) have created a modern masterpiece which moves the emotions every which way with a tight script, a dazzling set and one fantastic song after another. Andy Karl plays Phil to perfection, from anti-social “asshole” (as his producer Rita calls him) through to a more altruistic man rushing around town to do good deeds.
Quite why this show failed on the Great White Way is a mystery. Numbers like the hilarious “Struck” (lampooning the wellness industry) and the stirring “Hope” (during which we see Phil attempting suicide over and over) are stone-cold classics. Set pieces like a midnight car chase,the many suicides and the final party scene are carried off with creative aplomb. The direction is slick and dynamic and, even though there is (by the nature of things) plenty of repetition, there is a constant freshness over the two-hour plus running time.
One advantage this version of Groundhog Day has over the 1993 film is in its treatment of female characters, most of whom are barely given the time of day in the latter. Tanisha Spring is a divine Rita whose turns on the show’s two most philosophical songs “One Day” and “If I Had My Time Again” are both witty and heartfelt (who Phil sets his sights on when he first arrives). Eve Norris makes for a plaintive Nancy, resigned to her fate as “the perky-breasted, giggly one night stand” as she describes it in “Being Nancy”.
The run has just been extended and we wish everyone the very best in grabbing a ticket to what will be one of the best musicals of the year.
Groundhog Day is booking until 19 August.
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan
