GROUNDHOG DAY Previews — Page 6

QueenAlice said: "...As others have said they could cut 15 minutes easily with superfluous character songs"



I personally really loved the Nancy song. That, plus a few other songs, really have Tim Minchin's fingerprints on it...

Updated On: 3/18/17 at 09:18 PM

There was a five to ten minute tech hold in the first act during the sequence when Phil is just not caring and doing what he wants.

After the hold, the show ran smoothly to end of act.

Updated On: 3/18/17 at 09:46 PM

I was at the show tonight. I really wanted to hate this show based on the first 20 minutes... but I ended up falling in love with it. I have so many things to say:

spoiler alert!!!



1. I'm not a fan of Tim Minchin... his slant rhymes were driving me crazy all night... and the score, though serviceable was not memorable to me.

2. I agree with the posters who think the show is chauvinistic. Phil definitely comes off as too 'Rape-y' in act one. They should tone down / cut the sexual assault. There are three or four moments that could be triggers for people.

3. Phil definitely needs an "I want" song, but he doesn't even know that he is missing something in his life yet... so that would be complicated... his I want song should show us that in some way. It would have to be an "UN-I-want-song"... but it would help tremendously. Instead... Rita gets the song... which is not effective.

4. Act one should really end with his first suicide attempt. Act two should begin with the suicide song... cut "Nancy" it was cute... but did little to forward the plot... and act two is just too long... The nancy moment would work as an extended solo moment during the long sequence where everyone in the ensemble reveals their inner thoughts.

5. Since people are complaining about the length (almost 3 hours)... ... make all the repeated dialogue shorter... Many of the same lines are repeated over and over throughout the show... you could speed up the show if the lines were shorter.

6. Fantastic staging and lights and set and cast!!!! Really fantastic work by the entire creative team. This is a VERY impressive show. REALLY impressive to watch.

7. Some have complained that the characters were cartoonish. I agree, but I think they were written this way on purpose... because that's how Phil sees them... which makes it that much more powerful when we realize they are actual humans. I cried when it was revealed that Ned's wife had passed away.

8. I must see it again... Hoping that they make changes though... and also for the record it should be known that I ADORE problem pieces. Loved American Psycho and Women on the Verge and wish I could work on the rewrites.

Updated On: 3/19/17 at 12:17 AM

I was there tonight and absolutely loved it. I'm a bit surprised about how negative the second preview's reactions were. Creatively this show is more ambitious than nearly anything out this season (maybe this and The Great Comet are comparable). I think Matthew Warchus is a genius, and what he does here is truly magic. There are things happening in the August Wilson that I have NEVER seen onstage before. I also loved Tim Minchin's score and I think it may wind up being one of my favorite new scores of the season.

This is not another movie adaption. I saw A Bronx Tale for the first time this afternoon and kept thinking about these two shows, both movie adaptations on how different they were. One seems perfectly fine being middle of the road while the other continually strives (and doesn't always reach) for something higher.

Groundhog Day is not a perfect show. It needs at least 15-20 minutes (maybe more) cut out of it. I agree that we spend far too long with Phil being a jerk/downright creepy. You could easily cut down the leadup to his dates with Rita and save some time.

I was also had an issue with Nancy's opening number. I wasn't sure how it worked in the context of the show. If no one else is remembering what is going on why is she singing out her issues as a one night stand? Or if the show is going Meta why did no one else? Feminist commentary or not I think it is out of place. I think it broke the flow of the show.

Just a note of praise to Andy Karl. I think he continually gets more charismatic with each role. He is such a likeable lead that even when Phil is a dick, we still somehow like him. He is absolutely terrific in this show.

I totally agree with whoever mentioned that Barrett Doss sounded like a young Audra! I thought she was wonderful in this show. She's got a great voice and does a nice job in the role.

Overall, I don't want too much about the show because it really should be experienced. The staging is full of so many wonderful surprises and the audience really enjoyed each one.

For those asking my rush seats were extreme orchestra row F all the way to the right 18 and 16. They were not marked partial view. If I was paying, I would say that Front Mezz would be the perfect place to see the show, but for $39.50 the rush is a great value. I got there around 8:30am and was second in line. Most people seemed to start coming around 8:50am.

I also stage-doored and it seemed everyone came out, and Andy Karl, Rebecca Faulkenberry and Barrett Doss couldn't be nicer.

dave1606 said: "For those asking my rush seats were extreme orchestra row F all the way to the right 18 and 16. They were not marked partial view. If I was paying, I would say that Front Mezz would be the perfect place to see the show, but for $39.50 the rush is a great value. I got there around 8:30am and was second in line. Most people seemed to start coming around 8:50am."

It seemed like the front row was available for lottery losers. Just wondering if the stage is pretty high or something?

MadonnaMusical said: "yes it is"

Thanks, I'm looking forward to this one, since I adore the source material, and rather pay more to see it properly, especially if the doomsayers here are right about its longevity potential.

I had the luxury of seeing the first preview on Thursday and then coming back for performance 1A, as the production is referring to it, on Friday.

There will probably be some spoilers below.

I think what went on on Thursday may have been one of the most spectacular evenings at the theater I have ever had. The production came together to put on an incredible performance, in light o the circumstances, which I found out Friday were caused by 1 broken caster in one of the revolves. Though many are crediting Jujamcyn with the incredible treatment on Friday, the credit really goes to the producers. Since Rudin pulled out of the production, Warchus, Minchin, and a few of the other creatives are producing the show themselves, breaking the Bialystock rule of "Never Put Your Own Money in the Show." They were doing some incredible service recovery on Thursday, costing themselves tons of money to try and ensure that there was good buzz after the issues.

I really enjoyed the show. I agree with just about every piece of criticism that has been addressed in this thread thus far. You can't go into an adaptation of a quirky comedy film expecting the next Hamilton. You have to go into a piece like this expecting to laugh a bunch and enjoy the show, which I wholeheartedly did. Some of the stage craft, like the car chase sequence and the illusions near the top of Act 2, are among the most impressive moments I have seen on the Broadway stage. After seeing the sung-through version, it was incredible to see the visuals that went with things like the car chase, which seemed like a long music break until you added the black lights, turntables and puppets to the mix.

The show can definitely use to lose about 20 minutes. The plan of the production, per a friend who is working on the show, is to find 10 minutes to cut of actual content, and try to get the intermission down to 15 minutes-It's running at about 25 minutes at this point because of the complexity of the scenic changeover that needs to happen set up for act 2. Though the medical number in Act 1 and Nancy's Song in Act 2 are probably the least necessary to the plot, they have the most of Tim's style in them, and aren't likely to get cut. The show actually only runs 2:15 plus the intermission.

I know there are a number of comparisons to American Psycho. This has a lot more going for it than Psycho did-It has already run in a similar sized theater, and is up for a bunch of Awards in London right now-Andy is likely to pick up an Olivier a week before the show opens on Broadway. Psycho came form a 350 seat fringe theater, got mixed reviews, and no real award buzz. I really want this one to succeed. It is such a tough season since there have been so many really strong new musicals this year.

A word about seating. Thursday night I was in the 4th row of the mezz, house right, perfect view for the 16 minutes of the show we actually saw. When the codes came out for replacing tickets, I jumped at a pair of Row H center orchestra seats, on the aisle, presumably unsold house seats, which provided an incredible view, since I knew what to expect for the show. It might be tough to take in the whole of the production sitting the orchestra on the first viewing-There is a whole lot going on pretty much all the time. I wouldn't sit much closer than I was, as the show deck is really high off the stage to accommodate the mechanics of the 5 turntables that drive the action of the show.

As for merch, 1 t-shirt, hoodie, 2 magnets, 2 keychains, 1 button, mug, and window card.

And yes, they are working on a stuffed groundhog for the merchandise stand.

I found an audio of the closing show in London, and it is, note for note, the same show at this point.

Merch update: Not sure if they are in the theater tonight, but the stuffed groundhog came in, should be at the merch booth shortly.

I was there this evening and ultimately I was very moved by this musical. I thought the second act was extremely strong and I really, really, really loved Andy Karl. He is to Groundhog Day what Idina was to If/Then. One of my friends said afterwards that Andy was better than the material, but I think the material was successful because of Andy. Now that Jake is out of the running (and quite frankly even if he were still eligible), my vote for Best Actor would go to Andy Karl.

What surprised me most about act two was how emotional and invested I became after being a little detached from the piece in act one. I think there are two general problems with act one: it needs to be funnier (read more belly laughs, not light chuckles) and Andy needs a big number. He is given several nice solos in act one, but goes all the through act one without a standalone song. Ideally they should turn the opening number, which is a big production lead by Andy and quickly taken over by the townspeople, into more of a showy number for our leading man.

Act two had my three favorite numbers, "Hope" (hysterical), "Philanthropy" (a showstopper) and "If I Had My Time Again" (a nice duet for Rita and Phil). The show goes all gooey when it realizes it wants to be more of A Christmas Carol meets It's a Wonderful Life, but the emotions feel earned and genuine.

The score had to grow on me a bit- there are highlights, but it doesn't match the cohesive wonder that was Matilda, nor does it have the wild humor so often on display in Minchin's solo shows. It almost takes until the sprawling act one finale, "One Day" for it truly find a groove. I immensely enjoyed Barrett Doss' voice during this section; this is her musical Broadway debut and I was charmed.

Groundhog Day has its flaws, but there's also a lot to admire, including its ambitious nature. It's no easy task to score a story that repeats the same day over and over again.

Warchus is going to receive much praise for his staging, and deservedly so, but tonight was all about the true talent of Andy Karl and his ability to carry a show.

I had the great privilege of seeing ANDY KARL's return to Broadway... and what a return it is...

I know I get flack for my love of him; however MR. KARL and ROCKY helped me and my husband get through his battle with cancer last year... so understandably I get very emotional talking about him...

In any case I think this is his best performance by far... he's equally strong here as he was in LONDON..

MR. KARL is a true Broadway star and he sells the show with incredible comedic timing, and later in act 2, emotional depth... and DAMN those legs!!! He look damn good, he ain't lost it :)

I wish there was a chance for him to win the TONY because this is SUCH a challenging performance, one that requires way more depth and skill as an actor than you might imagine...You almost take his ability to shift from smarmy to likable and ultimately sympathetic for granted because he does it with such ease and comedic skill...I was blown away by him again and I cannot wait to go back... I love him I love him I love him!

With the exception of the new cast I can't quite think of what has changed since the LONDON production... nothing I think? I looooved the new RITA; what a vast improvement from across the pond!!

It's a long show but doesn't feel long... It could be trimmed here and there though.

To echo what some previous posters have said:

I was ALSO there tonight, and loved the show. No, love isn't quite strong enough. This was easily my favorite night of theatre I've had this season, and quite possibly the last couple seasons. Yes, the show is not perfect BUT ITS SO F*CKING CLOSE TO BEING A MASTERPIECE you cannot help but love it despite/ because of its flaws.

I went with my notoriously hard to please family (who hated August: Osage County and thought Hamilton was "okay" and they too loved the show from beginning to end. It's almost unfair to call it a musical. The way book and score are so skillfully woven together, it's almost a new breed of show.

I agree that there's some fat to trim. I echo the poster above who says some of the repeated lines could be shortened up just to keep momentum. But nothing big. The way the score's themes play out through the whole evening, mixing into the different songs like beautifully ornate clockwork, it's magical. It's a trim job that needs skill and finesse. The Great Comet used their previews to make similar changes, and with Warchus at the helm, I feel like this show can use the next month to become the winner it deserves to be.

And finally, the audience ate it up. I've never seen an sold out audience rise that quickly for a standing ovation as soon as the lights came up for bows. It's a crowd pleaser, and I truly hope it can find its audience.

Updated On: 3/21/17 at 01:12 AM

I wonder how much the Tim minchin late late show appearance does for ticket sales of the show.