And that’s honestly why I love it, and I need to say this clearly: I think Groundhog Day is one of the most underrated musicals of the last decade. And I don’t mean underrated like “it didn’t win everything and I’m still bitter.” I mean, underrated like, why are we not talking about this show the way we talk about other “smart” musicals from the 2010s? Why does it feel like it got filed away as “oh yeah, that was a clever adaptation” instead of “wait, that was an actually great piece of theatre that understood something real about being alive”?
Because the stage version isn’t just a carbon copy of the movie with some songs stapled on. It’s an upgrade. It takes the same premise and somehow makes it feel more human, more personal. You walk in expecting a comedy about a guy trapped in a time loop. You leave realizing it was also a show about being trapped in your own patterns, your own reactions, your own little daily excuses. Which is… fun. Love that for all of us.
And seeing it live made the whole thing hit harder.
In 2026, everything is loud and fast and constantly trying to convince you that you’re behind, yet there is something weirdly comforting about a musical that says, Yep, you’re going to wake up and do it again. The day. Again. And that can either be miserable… or it can be a chance.
So yes, I love Groundhog Day. I love it because it’s smart without being smug. It’s funny without being cute about it. It’s funny as hell. It’s emotionally sincere without doing the whole “please clap, I’m being meaningful” thing.
And I love it because I still think it deserves better. Better reputation. Better legacy. Better “hey remember when Broadway had this genuinely brilliant show and we all kind of moved on?” energy. It’s a real show about real stuff, disguised as a comedy about a guy and a groundhog.