A time loop that trapped Bill Murray's character in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, reliving the same day over and over on film is about to repeat itself on a Central Florida stage. Encore Performing Arts brings Groundhog Day: The Musical to the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for five performances running Friday through Sunday, September 18-20, with tickets priced between $29 and $70.
The Orlando run marks the opening production of Encore Performing Arts' 25th Anniversary Season of Reflection, according to the Dr. Phillips Center. The company has raised more than $325,000 for Central Florida charitable organizations through its productions since its founding.
As Orlando Weekly critic Matthew Moyer describes it, the musical adaptation is built on the same premise as the 1993 film: Bill Murray played a big-city television reporter sent to cover the Punxsutawney groundhog ceremony who gets caught in a time loop, reliving the same day over and over. The stage version carries a book by Danny Rubin, who co-wrote the original film, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. Moyer's review notes that the musical goes darker than the film while still delivering great songs and impeccable comic timing.
From The Old Vic to Broadway's Biggest Stages
The stage adaptation has a considerable pedigree of its own. It premiered at London's The Old Vic in 2016 and won two Laurence Olivier Awards in 2017, including Best New Musical and Best Actor in a Musical for lead star Andy Karl, according to Official London Theatre. Karl later reprised his award-winning role as Phil Connors for a 2023 West End revival, the same source notes.
The production's 2017 Broadway run at the August Wilson Theatre brought seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, Best Original Score for Minchin, and Best Book of a Musical for Rubin. Orlando Weekly's review sums up that broader arc simply: the musical has become a hit on Broadway and the West End and was nominated for a Tony.
The original 1993 film, which provides the source material for the stage adaptation, grossed more than $105 million, per The Numbers.
An Intimate Venue With Accessibility Built In
The Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, located at 445 S. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando, is a 294-seat community-style venue with 32 ceiling-mounted abstract art pieces by artist Tom McGrath, according to venue details compiled by TheVendry. That scale gives the production a far more intimate footing than the sprawling houses where the musical has previously played.
Organizers have also built in accessibility for the run. The Dr. Phillips Center lists an American Sign Language interpreted performance for Sunday at 1 p.m., part of the five-show weekend engagement spanning September 18 through 20.
Part Of A Packed Fall Lineup Downtown
The staging lands amid a busy season for the performing arts complex. This fall's calendar at Dr. Phillips Center also includes major national attractions like Hamilton, Buena Vista Social Club, and a cabaret series at Judson's Live, per the Florida Sun Review.
Encore's production adds to recent Orlando entertainment bookings, including a comedy tour stop. For local audiences, Groundhog Day: The Musical offers a chance to see a Tony-nominated, internationally awarded show in one of downtown Orlando's smallest and most distinctive rooms.
