Groundhog Day the Musical - Old Vic

Spoiler heavy:

Saw it tonight - I adore this show like nothing else. Saw it twice in its first run at the Old Vic and have caught some footage of the Broadway run. Here are my thoughts:

I understand that the original staging with 5 revolves was terribly complex and troublesome but I think a little is lost by not having at least 1. The nature of the show is so cyclical and it helped so much with transitions. It also means that you get less of the ensemble on stage in the climax of songs like Hope (there’s no longer multiple versions of Phil killing himself which was originally so effective).

I find the the new choreography very hit and miss. They’ve knocked Philanthropy out of the park (now including a reprise of “If I Had My Time Again” which works so well) but Stuck isn’t even a patch on the original snappy, inventive choreo in my opinion. The movement overall is well considered but the cheerleading sequences are a little flat.

I think there’s heavier use of video projection which is used effectively on the surrounding flats.

I was surprised by some of the lyric changes, some I couldn’t figure out why they were changed or if they were even an improvement e.g the “my doctor said one day my heart would stop tickin’, unless I cut down on that chicken” is now about Camembert / eating too much cheese?

The joke about Phil demanding a big van at the beginning is also gone (before the miniature van comes on stage). I don’t understand why this was cut?! This humour felt so appropriate for the show. I remember there being more takes of Phil being a dick on the screens at the beginning originally, maybe they’re trying to make him a little less of a dick?

I’m almost certain that Days 1, 2 & 3 have been trimmed a little, particularly Phil’s wake up call, I imagine this is in the interest of making this whole first part of the show a little more efficient.

I was particularly interested in the changes made to “There Will Be Sun”. The costume changes from “cute small town community” to “old fashioned, traditional” takes it from wholesome to a little more creepy which I imagine is the intent? The song has also been trimmed down a little which I found a LITTLE bit of a shame. Though the bits trimmed lended themselves to the more wholesome community vibes.

I personally wish Phil’s hidden preparation for reappearances in the bed during “Hope” were less lit but that’s nitpicking as someone who knows what will happen.

Overall I bloody loved it. It undoubtedly needs the preview period to get to where is needed but that’s a given. Andy Karl is 10/10 as usual. Tanisha’s vocals are gorgeous. The supporting cast are great, I think with more shows the comic timing will improve too.