Carlyss Peer will make her musical theatre debut in The Old Vic’s much-anticipated Groundhog Day this summer, leading the cast of the new musical from the creators of Matilda The Musical alongside the previously announced Andy Karl.
The RADA trained classical actor will follow appearances in Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe to originate the role made famous in the 1993 film by Andie MacDowell, Rita Hanson, when the show makes it world premiere in July.
Reuniting seven-time Olivier Award-winning Matilda The Musical’s creative team including director Matthew Warchus and composer and lyricist Tim Minchin, Groundhog Day tells the story of cynical Pittsburgh weatherman Phil (Karl) who is sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in the isolated small town of Punxsutawney.
While everything at first might appear normal, when his alarm goes off the next morning the trouble begins, as Phil finds himself in a time loop, forced to relive the same day over and over again. As each day plays out exactly the same as before, Phil becomes increasingly despondent, but as with all good magical stories an important life lesson might just break the cycle…
Completing the cast are an ensemble of London stage regulars including Leo Andrew, David Birch, Ste Clough, Roger Dipper, Georgina Hagen, Kieran Jae, Julie Jupp, Andrew Langtree, Vicki Lee Taylor, Emma Lindars, Antonio Magro, Carolyn Maitland, Kirsty Malpass, Lisa Mathieson, Eugene McCoy, Jenny O’Leary, Leanne Pinder, Mark Pollard, Damian Poole, Jack Shalloo, Andrew Spillett and Spencer Stafford.
While theatre fans eagerly await more details as to how the show will be staged, the Daily Mail reported last month that the show’s Olivier Award-winning choreographer, Matilda’s Peter Darling, was working with the show’s designers to use five revolves in order to capture the story’s time loop.
Groundhog Day plays at The Old Vic from 11 July (press night 16 August) for a run until 17 October.