I had never been to the Paramount Theater in Aurora, so I had no idea what to expect when I arrived on a snowy evening in February. I attended the opening night of Paramount Theater’s production of Groundhog Day: The Musical with my groundhog baby (who celebrated his 13th birthday on February 2). We were instantly warmed by the glow of the theater nestled in downtown Aurora and stuck by the grandeur of the bustling lobby. With the rest of the audience I eagerly awaited seeing this musical based on the film classic, which my household watches annually. This tradition pre-dates the birth of my son on Groundhog Day and goes back to college days of hosting Groundhog Day parties with my equally obsessed roommate and friends. I had waited 5 years to see this show and was on the edge of my seat!
I had never been to the Paramount Theater in Aurora, so I had no idea what to expect when I arrived on a snowy evening in February. The production value of Paramount’s Groundhog Day: The Musical blew me away! We view small town Punxsutawney through the lens of a snow globe on a spectacular set designed by Courtney O’Neill. My son marveled at how seamlessly the important places from the film roll on and off the stage taking us throughout the town- Gobbler’s Knob, the diner, the bowling alley and of course, Phil Connors’ bedroom. Mike Tutaj’s projections on the rounded backdrop keep us fully grounded in the spaces of Punxsutawney and even move us from place to place—at times what felt like literally. Jordan Ross’s costumes stayed true to the original movie with some interesting changes as the mood of the show shifted. And nothing will ever top the shock of the bar scene. I don’t want to give it away but an audible “whoa” echoed throughout the audience.
I had never been to the Paramount theater in Aurora, so I had no idea what to expect when I arrived on a snowy evening in February. I have seen the movie Groundhog Day more times than I can count, so my expectations for the show were high. For those of you who have been living in a groundhog hole for the last 30 years and are unfamiliar with the plot, it follows weatherman Phil Connors who begrudgingly goes to Punxsutawney, PA every year to report on the Groundhog Day festival. He is a conceited “celebrity” who feels this assignment and town is beneath him. After a blizzard (that Phil failed to predict) traps the production team in Punxsutawney, Phil resigns himself to spend one more night in the town before hitting the road out first thing in the morning. Unfortunately for Phil, the universe has other plans and he awakens the next morning to the same radio loop as the day before, only to discover it is once again February 2nd and he is the only one aware that the day is on repeat. This cycle continues for what movie fans say is about 12,395 days or over 33 years until Phil transforms and breaks the cycle. This is what I was expecting to see with maybe a few creative licenses.
I had never been to the Paramount Theater in Aurora, so I had no idea what to expect when I arrived on a snowy evening in February.The story of the musical follows the movie’s arc relatively closely with many of the beloved scenes and a handful of iconic lines remaining intact. However, writer Danny Rubin did make many changes and I did not feel they were for the best. Phil is even more unlikable in the musical and there is a much stronger emphasis on sex throughout the show. For me, this playing on crassness for laughs detracted from the charm of the original movie. And while there are many iconic lines and scenes, others are missing and for a superfan, it’s not the same without Phil splashing in the puddle and Ned exclaiming, “watch out for that first step, it’s a doozy!” Of course, the writing is not the fault of this particular production. Director Jim Corti took the script and the songs, which I thought were just ok, and made a great show out of it. In fact, just as I was starting to come around the first few notes of Seeing You began, and I thought, this may be the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard. That, along with some deep new insights into the characters and their motivations, and a powerful ending redeemed the script.
I had never been to the Paramount Theater in Aurora, so I had no idea what to expect when I arrived on a snowy evening in February. What I saw were tremendous performances by very talented actors. Alex Syiek had big shoes to fill by tackling a role made famous by the legendary BIll Murray. And while Syiek’s Phil Connors was not the same, he convinced me. He is conceited, unlikable and rude at the beginning, really sticking out among the joyous small town chorus, who themselves are beautifully small towny and fantastic. Syiek’s transformation of Phil, from desperate to find satisfaction in the hell he is a part of, to despair that it will never end, to redemption is powerful. While I was not a fan of the changes to the script, I loved how Syiek tackled Murray’s role. This show also gave the character of Rita, Phil’s producer and love interest, played by Phoebe Gonzalez, more of an opportunity to shine. In the original movie, we don’t know much of her story, but in the musical, Gonzalez is able to take us inside Rita and we learn through beautiful and passionate songs that she is a strong woman of substance. Gonzalez gives us a powerful Rita, someone Phil is lucky to fall in love with. The supporting cast of the show is also fantastic. I especially love Haley Jane Schafer as Nancy Taylor and Kyle Adams as Ned Ryerson. As with Rita, we get to learn so much more about who these people are, giving depth to their characters and stories and both actors were able to not only capture the original character, but to convincingly make it their own. The actors of Paramount’s Groundhog Day: The Musical were the best part of this show.
I had never been to the Paramount Theater in Aurora, so I had no idea what to expect when I arrived on a snowy evening in February. By the time the curtain closed to a standing ovation, I decided, as Phil Connors does about Punxsutawney, that it is a place I will need to return to. With a production and acting of the quality you would find in the “big city,” this show about small town America, do-overs and redemption warmed my heart on this snowy night.
This production of an iconic story, Groundhog Day: The Musical runs at the Paramount Theater through March 13th. Get tickets here.