Groundhog Day posts closure notice for September 17

Producers of the Broadway premiere of Groundhog Day have announced that the musical will play its final performance at Broadway's August Wilson Theatre on September 17, 2017. The production began previews on March 16, 2017, before an official opening on April 17. Upon closing, it will have played a total of 176 regular performances and 32 previews.

The producers released the following statement:

"It has been a joy to share Groundhog Day over and over again with Broadway audiences. We could not have asked for a more magnificent, devoted company to bring Danny Rubin's heartfelt words, Tim Minchin's dynamic score, and Matthew Warchus's ingenious direction to the August Wilson Theatre stage every night. This Punxsutawney family has been through a lot together and as Groundhog Day heads into its final month of performances in New York, we are so proud to be part of a Golden Age of musicals on Broadway."

An 18-month National Tour is scheduled to commence next year and the musical is also said to be making a return to its birthplace of London.

Groundhog Day features a book by Danny Rubin (based on his screenplay, co-written with Harold Ramis) and music & lyrics by Tim Minchin.

Synopsis: "Groundhog Day is the story of Phil Connors, an arrogant Pittsburgh TV weatherman who, when sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, finds himself caught in a time loop where he is forced to repeat the same day again and again... and again. As each day plays out exactly the same as before Phil becomes increasingly despondent, but is there a lesson to be learned through his experiences, will he ever unlock the secret and break the cycle?"

The cast of Groundhog Day includes three-time Tony nominee Andy Karl (as Phil Connors), alongside Barrett Doss (as Rita Hanson) and an ensemble cast that includes Rebecca Faulkenberry, John Sanders, Andrew Call, Raymond J. Lee, Heather Ayers, Kevin Bernard, Gerard Canonico, Rheaume Crenshaw, Michael Fatica, Katy Geraghty, Camden Gonzales, Jordan Grubb, Taylor Iman Jones, Tari Kelly, Josh Lamon, Joseph Medeiros, Sean Montgomery, William Parry, Jenna Rubaii, Vishal Vaidya, Travis Waldschmidt and Natalie Wisdom.

The creative team of Groundhog Day features seven of the creators of the West End and Broadwy hit Matilda, who reunited for the project. These include director Matthew Warchus, composer and lyricist Tim Minchin, choreographer Peter Darling, costume & set designer Rob Howell, lighting designer Hugh Vanstone, sound designer Simon Baker and orchestrator & musical supervisor Christopher Nightingale.

The Broadway production is co-produced by André Ptaszynski for Whistle Pig Productions and Lia Vollack for Columbia Live Stage.

The 1993 film, with a screenplay by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis, based on a story by Rubin, and directed by Ramis, starred Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, and Chris Elliott. Released by Columbia Pictures, it was one of the top grossing films of 1993.