The new musical My Day as a Groundhog speaks to us with its topical theme
Helsinki City Theatre’s new musical for autumn 2020, Groundhog Day (2016), based on the popular film, will have its long-awaited premiere on 3 September. The director is Samuel Harjanne, the man behind the hit musicals Kinky Boots and The Little Mermaid. The musical comedy about a weatherman stuck in a small town now feels more relevant than ever. The main roles are played by Lari Halme and Maria Lund.
“We had no idea how topical this story would be in 2020. Over the past year, many of us have lived through a similar day over and over again, and there seems to be no way out of the rat race. My Day as a Groundhog awakens the viewer to think about the meaning of time and how to use it. It is up to us whether we see today as distressing and uncomfortable, or possibly as the best day of our lives so far,” says director Samuel Harjanne.
Despite his protests, the self-centered weatherman Phil Connors (Lari Halme) is sent to a remote village in Punxsutawney to report on the traditional Groundhog Day. Due to a snowstorm, the film crew is forced to stay in the town, and to his horror, Phil realizes that he wakes up again and again to the same Groundhog Day morning and the familiar alarm clock. Living in a loop may feel fun for a while, when actions have no consequences, and in the morning everything is the same and starts again. How can you benefit from the situation yourself, or could it also help others? Over the course of repeated days, Phil has time to get to know the inhabitants of the small town, and especially his new colleague, TV producer Rita Hanson (Maria Lund). What all has to happen before Phil is ready to wake up to a new morning?
In addition to the main couple Lari Halme and Maria Lund, the musical’s more than 30-member cast includes Pertti Koivula, Raili Raitala, Antti Timonen, Sami Uotila and Tuomas Uusitalo, among others.
The musical, composed and written by Tim Minchin and written by Danny Rubin , has been translated into Finnish by Reita Lounatvuori and Hanna Kaila. The choreographies for a group of more than 30 performers were designed by Simon Hardwick from England, and the conductor of the 11-piece orchestra is Eeva Kontu. The set design is by Peter Ahlqvist and the costumes by Elina Kolehmainen. The guest lighting designer is Palle Palmé from Sweden, and the sound designer is Kai Poutanen. The camouflage is designed by Maija Sillanpää.
The film My Day as a Groundhog (1993), starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, is listed among the best films in the world. The musical adaptation, which premiered in London in 2016, was an immediate success and was awarded the Lawrence Olivier Award for Best New Musical. The musical arrived on Broadway the following year, and now it’s time to conquer Helsinki.
Groundhog Day is an annual holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada to predict the arrival of spring. On 2 February, the marmot is lured to peek out of its winter nest. If the weather is sunny and the marmot’s shadow is visible, winter will last at least another six weeks. The most famous celebration of Groundhog Day is celebrated in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
My Day as a Groundhog premiere 3.9.2020 on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Eläintarhantie 5)
22 € – 88 € (incl. pm.)
Helsinki City Theatre ticket office, Ensi linja 2, Mon-Fri 9 am – 5.30 pm, Eläintarhantie 5 Sat 11 am – 7 pm and one hour before the performance and Lippupiste Mon-Sat 9 am – 9 pm, Sun 10 am – 6 pm, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge)
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