Oh, that mischievous Bill Murray. On Tuesday night, the actor finally attended the Groundhog Day musical on Broadway, an adaptation of the 1993 film starring Murray as a man forced to live the same day over and over again. He laughed; he cried; he climbed over people during intermission. And what did Murray decide to do the next day? See Groundhog Day again!
The actor went and saw the musical a second time on Wednesday night, according to The New York Times, to the delight of the cast—including Barrett Doss, who plays Andie MacDowell’s original role.
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Though Murray saw the first show accompanied by his brother Brian Doyle-Murray and original Groundhog co-writer Danny Rubin, he flew solo on the second night. According to Times reporter Sopan Deb, Murray made it clear on the first night that he would see the musical again. But sometimes that’s just one of those things people say; certainly no one expected to see him the following night.
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On the first night, Murray was quite emotional, “visibly sobbing” by the end of the first act, per the Times report. He also went full no-one-will-ever-believe-you Murray, giving $50 tips to a bartender who got him water, then muttering, “This is too much for a glass of water”; eschewing walkways in favor of climbing over a woman to get a beer; fishing Junior Mints out of a box in his pocket to pass out to kids in the crowd. (Of course, everyone will believe these antics, because they were all documented by a reporter.) He also delivered a speech to the show’s cast at the end (which you can read in full here), praising their talent and somewhat offhandedly comparing the film’s plot to the Panama Canal (“I know this sounds stupid”).
“There’s something about the power that you have together that’s really extraordinary. And we’re all grabbed by it,” he said.
He also explained to the Times why he was twice moved to tears during the show. “The idea that we just have to try again,” he explained. “We just have to try again. It’s such a beautiful, powerful idea.”
And now, today is tomorrow and Murray has probably broken the cycle of seeing Groundhog Day on Broadway. Or has he . . . ?
