Groundhog Day for Melbourne in 2024

Groundhog Day The Musical will have its Australian premiere at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, playing a limited season from January 24, 2024, the show's producers GWB Entertainment have announced.

The musical, based on the 1993 film, comes from the creatives behind Matilda The Musical (on stage and film), telling the story of a man trapped inside one day on repeat.

Cynical Pittsburgh TV weatherman Phil Connors, assigned to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, is trapped in a time loop - forced to relive the same day again and again, resulting in an often hilarious and sometimes moving path to enlightenment and redemption.

The cast will be headed by Andy Karl, repeating his Broadway and West End role as Phil Connors, with Elise McCann as Rita Hanson.

The show will also feature Afua Adjei (Ensemble / Debbie), Grant Almirall (Ensemble), Kaya Byrne (Ensemble / Larry), Kate Cole (Ensemble / Piano Teacher), Rachel Cole (Swing), Benjamin Colley (Swing), Andrew Coshan (Ensemble / Billy), Andrew Dunne (Ensemble / Buster), Madison Green (Swing), Matthew Hamilton (Ensemble / Sheriff), Matt Hourigan (Swing), Michael Lindner (Ensemble / Jenson), Etuate Lutui (Ensemble / Deputy), Conor Neylon (Ensemble / Gus), Ashleigh Rubenach (Ensemble / Nancy), Jacob Steen (Ensemble/Fred), Connor Sweeney (Ensemble / Ralph), Alison Whyte (Ensemble / Mrs Lancaster), Tim Wright (Ensemble / Ned Ryerson) and Kate Yaxley (Ensemble / Joelle).

The production reunites Australia’s Tim Minchin AM with Matilda The Musical’s director Matthew Warchus who, together with the film’s writer, Danny Rubin, have created this musical.

“I have waited 7 years for this moment!” said Tim Minchin AM. “Groundhog Day The Musical, like Matilda The Musical, has a unique mixture of darkness and light, of head and heart, and of complexity and joy, and I’ve been convinced since its first iteration that Australians will love it! I’m so excited that the run is going to be in Melbourne, the city I lived in when I wrote my break-out comedy shows, and the place where – when things weren’t going so well – I learned how important it is to find the beauty and hope in the day to day.”

“Following its celebrated run at London’s Old Vic Theatre, where it broke all box office records, I couldn’t be happier to be bringing Tim Minchin and Danny Rubin’s musical masterpiece to the Princess Theatre in Melbourne (coincidentally, the very venue which was home to Matilda back in 2016)" says Director Matthew Warchus. "Groundhog Day The Musical, I know, will surprise many people. Perhaps the most joy-filled show I have ever directed, this magical tale of redemption somehow manages to be both a truly hilarious romantic comedy and a profoundly moving and inspiring message of hope. I love the original movie and I love this adaptation. It inspires us to be the best possible versions of ourselves, to break free of our repetitive gloom and to learn how to love life. All that plus a rodent who predicts the weather…what more could you ask for?”

GWB Entertainment Director Richelle Brookman said, “We are so thrilled to be presenting the Australian premiere and exclusive Melbourne season of Groundhog Day The Musical. This production is hilariously funny but also incredibly moving and is a testament to the creative genius of the incredible team who have created it, including our own Tim Minchin.  We invite audiences from across Australia to join us in Melbourne for one of the best nights at the theatre that you will ever experience.”

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos said, “Melbourne will be the only place people will be able to see Groundhog Day The Musical, and only the third city in the world to stage the production – a genuine coup for Australia’s creative capital. This Melbourne-exclusive experience will attract visitors from around the country and overseas, creating jobs and delivering significant economic benefits to the state.”

The production features Set and Costume design by Rob Howell (Matilda The Musical, A Christmas Carol), Choreography by Lizzi Gee (Little Shop of Horrors, A Christmas Carol), Orchestration, Additional Music and Musical Supervision by Christopher Nightingale (A Christmas Carol, Matilda The Musical), Lighting by Hugh Vanstone (A Christmas Carol, Back to the Future), Sound by Simon Baker (A Christmas Carol, Girl from the North Country), Illusions by Paul Kieve (Matilda The Musical, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Video and Animation by Andrzej Goulding (Sylvia, Eureka Day), and additional Movement by Finn Caldwell (Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, Life of Pi).

Originally produced in partnership with The Old Vic, Groundhog Day The Musical is a Whistle Pig production, produced in Australia by GWB Entertainment, supported by Victoria’s Tourism and Major Event fund, Visit Victoria.

Groundhog Day The Musical

From 24 January to 21 April 2024

Princess Theatre Melbourne.

Tickets go on sale 9am Friday 6 October.

BOOK HERE.