This musical, of a man trapped inside one day on repeat, runs the risk of living its own groundhog day. It will be familiar to many from the Bill Murray film on which it is based, and also from its original run, seven years ago at the same theatre.
The story of arrogant TV weatherman Phil Connors (Andy Karl), who gets stuck in backwater America reporting on an annual “Groundhog Day” event, is indubitably a throwback: even its book is written by the screenwriter of the 1993 film, Danny Rubin. The big surprise is that it still lifts us with its comedy, and thrills us with its theatrical invention.