Review: Päiväni murmelina
My day as a groundhog – when one day repeats and repeats…
When I heard that the film My Day as a Groundhog has been made into a musical that will be directed by Samuel Harjanne in the Helsinki City Theatre’s repertoire, I thought that Harjanne must have taken a bad bite out of it. After all, a film like this, where one day repeats itself the same over and over again with small changes, cannot work on stage and as a musical. Woe to Thomas, who doubts me! Of course, it can work, and especially when it is run by Harjanne, one of the best musicals in our country, who has gained international fame.
A while ago, I went to see the comedy musical My Day as a Groundhog. The casting for the production was a hit: the main couple Lari Halme as Phil Connors and Maria Lund as Rita Hanson worked like the famous train toilet. The voices sounded beautifully together and their solo parts were also excellent. I don’t understand the critic’s criticism of the producer and its creators, and especially not his words that Lund saved the whole show. I think Halme, among others, was brilliant in the role of Connors, and the casting of the musical was really successful throughout.
Of the solo singing scenes, however, I remember Nancy’s (Raili Raitala) touching and beautiful song “Nancy’s Role” (original. Playing Nancy). Raitala’s wonderful voice and strong but delicate interpretation brought tears to my eyes. This is the name I remember when I look for the next musical and musical theatre productions to watch. A great choice from the casting director!
Finnish song versions better than the originals
Let’s go back to the beginning, i.e. my doubts about how the story works on stage and as a musical. The creators of the musical, Tim Minchin and Danny Rubin , knew what they were getting into when they started writing and composing Groundhog Day as a musical. The role of Phil Connors and the fact that the story is based on repetition became the subject of special consideration.
“My day as a groundhog was a unique challenge. Because the story is based on repetition and being trapped, I had to make numerous decisions about how the music should reflect the themes,” says Tim Minchin in the script for the musical My Day as a Groundhog.
However, the repetition and being trapped have been brought to the stage nicely, and the music also supports the story well. The Finnish translation of the musical is by Reita Lounatvuori and Hanna Kaila, the latter of whom has translated the songs. I listened to the original songs on Spotify and I have to say that the Finnish versions of the songs are really good. In my opinion, under Harjanne’s direction, the songs sounded even better than on the soundtrack of the original musical, so well done in that regard as well.
About the theme and main theme of the story
I really liked the great crowd scenes in the musical. The dancing and singing were rehearsed to the last detail and they reflected the carnival atmosphere of Groundhog Day well. The theme of the musical, about how we “sit-down” and postpone things, is always topical. Of course, it’s pretty typical for us humans that when my summer vacation starts, I cycle somewhere every day to photograph nature and then when I get a job, I start going to dance classes at least three times a week and then when the weather improves, I go for a run and then… Endless sit-. Maybe it would just be good to start doing those things now, and not like…!
Another theme of the story, which I think is the main thing, is how Phil Connors finally learns to enjoy the little things in life and learns to understand that helping others is important and makes you feel good. My Day as a Groundhog is high-quality musical theatre and Samuel Harjanne did it again – he directed a successful and fine musical. I’m looking forward to his next musical production on the stage of HKT.