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Home , Andy Karl, Danny Rubin, Groundhog Day (musical), Matthew Warchus, Michael Grandage, Rob Howell

PRESS RELEASE

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE NEW MUSICAL

Book by Music and Lyrics by Directed by Choreography by

Previews from Thursday 15 July 2016, press night Tuesday 16 August 2016.

Full casting is today announced for the world premiere of the new musical Groundhog Day, which previews from Monday 11 July 2016 with a press night on Tuesday 16 August 2016.

Carlyss Peer will play Rita Hanson alongside the previously announced in the role of Phil Connors. They are joined by an ensemble cast 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, Damien Poole, Jack Shalloo, Andrew Spillett and Spencer Stafford.

Artistic Director of Matthew Warchus, composer and lyricist Tim Minchin, choreographer Peter Darling and designer , four of the creators of the international musical sensation , have joined forces with writer Danny Rubin to collaborate on a new musical based on his 1993 hit film Groundhog Day.

Groundhog Day is the story of Phil Connors (Andy Karl), a cynical Pittsburgh TV weatherman who is sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in the isolated small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, when he finds himself caught in a time loop, 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 learnt through his experiences, will he ever unlock the secret and break the cycle?

The 1993 Columbia Pictures film, with a screenplay by Danny Rubin and , based on a story by Rubin, and directed by Ramis, starred . Now widely regarded as a contemporary classic, Groundhog Day was cited by the Writers Guild of America as one of the 101 Greatest Screenplays ever written and in 2000 was voted by readers of Total Film as one of the ten best comedies of all time.

Andy Karl, who plays Phil Connors, can currently be seen on the NBC series Law & Order: SVU as Sergeant Mike Dodds. Karl won the Outer Critics Circle Award and has been nominated for Tony, Drama Desk and Drama League awards for his starring role opposite in the Broadway revival of .

For his critically acclaimed performance as Rocky Balboa in the Broadway musical Rocky, Karl was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards.

Previous Broadway credits include the revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, , , , (ACCA Award), The Wedding Singer and Saturday Night Fever. Off-Broadway credits include Altar Boyz (OCC Award), Slut and Saturday Night. Andy’s other credits include Romeo and Bernadette (Carbonell Award nomination), , Disney’s On the Record and Tommy. His film and television credits include Forever, And So It Goes, Joyful Noise, Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods, On the One and New York, I Love You.

Carlyss Peer, who plays Rita Hanson, has performed on stage and screen. Since graduating from RADA her theatre credits have included Ophelia in and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare’s Globe), Jefferson’s Garden (Watford Palace), But I Made You a Mix Tape (Etcetera Theatre), The Rivals (Theatre Royal Bath and Theatre Royal Haymarket) and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Salisbury Playhouse).

On television, Carlyss played Bonnie Wallis in Holby City and has also appeared in Doctors, The Secret Agent, Silent Witness, Peter Pan and Eternal Law. She has recently completed filming for the new ITV drama Brief Encounters which will air later in 2016.

Matthew Warchus is a director of theatre, and film who has directed award-winning productions for many of the major British theatre companies. He was an Associate Director at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and was an Artistic Associate at The Old Vic before being appointed in 2014 to succeed as Artistic Director of the theatre.

Matthew’s extensive theatre credits include , The Master Builder and Future Conditional (The Old Vic), Matilda The Musical (RSC, West End and Broadway, 7 Olivier Awards, including Best Director and Best New Musical, and 4 ), Ghost: The Musical and La Bête (West End and Broadway), (West End), (West End and Broadway, Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play), (West End and Broadway, and Best Direction of a Play), Boeing-Boeing (West End, Broadway and UK tour, Tony Award for Best Revival of a play and Olivier nomination for Best Revival of a Play), Speed-the-Plow (The Old Vic), the theatrical adaptation of (also co-writer, West End), (National Theatre), (Albery Theatre), (, Olivier Award for Best Musical), (Broadway), Life x 3 (National Theatre, The Old Vic and Broadway), ( and Broadway, Tony nominations for Best Director and Best Play), The Unexpected Man (RSC, West End and Broadway), (Broadway, West End and Los Angeles, Olivier and Tony Awards for Best Play), Hamlet and (RSC), (National Theatre, Evening Standard Award for Best Director), (West End) and , Death of a Salesman, The Plough and the Stars, Fiddler on the Roof and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (West Yorkshire Playhouse).

Opera credits include Falstaff and Così Fan Tutte (ENO) and The Rake’s Progress (ROH and WNO). Matthew directed feature films Pride (2014, BIFA Best British Independent Film, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations) and (1999).

Tim Minchin is a musician, actor, comedian and writer. As a musical satirist, Tim has toured in the UK, the US and Australia and released 5 DVDs. He is the composer/lyricist of Matilda The Musical (book by ) and is currently directing and writing music and lyrics for forthcoming DreamWorks Animation feature film Larrikins. Acting credits include Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Sydney Theatre Company), Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar (arena tour of UK and Australia) and, for television, Atticus Fetch in Californication (Showtime) and Smasher Sullivan in Secret River (ABC).

Peter Darling is an award-winning choreographer. His work for theatre in the UK includes Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Billy Elliott (Victoria Palace Theatre), Merrily We Roll Along (Donmar Warehouse), and Oh! What a Lovely War (National Theatre), Sunset Boulevard (Really Useful Group), (Royal Shakespeare Company) and Edward II, The Country Wife, , and , all for . He choreographed Matilda The Musical, Our House and The Lord of the Rings for Matthew Warchus. His film work includes Billy Elliott and The Phantom of the Opera.

Rob Howell is an award-winning designer who has designed sets and costumes extensively for theatre and opera in the UK and abroad. His work has been recognised with numerous nominations and two Drama Desk Awards, a Tony Award and three Olivier Awards, including for his work on Matilda The Musical. Rob has worked at the Royal Court, the Donmar Warehouse, the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Opera House and the . Work at The Old Vic includes The Master Builder, Dr Seuss’s The Lorax, Future Conditional, A Flea in Her Ear, Inherit the Wind, Complicit, The Norman Conquests (also on Broadway) and Speed-the-Plow. He is an Associate Artist of The Old Vic.

Danny Rubin is an award-winning screenwriter and lecturer. His screen credits include Hear No Evil, S.F.W. and Groundhog Day, for which he received the BAFTA for Best Screenplay and the Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year, as well as honours from the Writers Guild of America and the American Film Institute.

Rubin has taught screenwriting in Chicago at the University of Illinois, Columbia College and the National High School Institute; at the Sundance Institute in Utah; the PAL Screenwriting Lab in ; the Chautauqua Institution in New York; at the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico and at Harvard University as the Briggs- Copeland Lecturer on Screenwriting from 2008-2013.

Book Danny Rubin Music and Lyrics Tim Minchin Director Matthew Warchus Choreographer Peter Darling Set and Costume Designer Rob Howell Orchestration and Christopher Nightingale Additional Music Lighting Designer Sound Designer Simon Baker Illusions Additional Movement Finn Caldwell

Andy Karl is appearing with the support of UK Equity, incorporating the Variety Artistes’ Federation, pursuant to an exchange program between American Equity and UK Equity.

Full Cast: Leo Andrew, David Birch, Ste Clough, Roger Dipper, Georgina Hagen, Kieran Jae, Julie Jupp, Andy Karl, Andrew Langtree, Vicki Lee Taylor, Emma Lindars, Antonio Magro, Carolyn Maitland, Kirsty Malpass, Lisa Mathieson, Eugene McCoy, Jenny O’Leary, Carlyss Peer, Leanne Pinder, Mark Pollard, Damien Poole, Jack Shalloo, Andrew Spillett, Spencer Stafford.

PRESS CONTACTS

For production press enquiries:

Jo Allan | E [email protected] | M 07889 905 850 | T 020 7520 9392 Kitty Greenleaf | E [email protected] | M 07545 131 539 | T 020 7520 9392 Hannah Stockton | E [email protected] | M 07889 542 245 | T 020 7520 9392

BOX OFFICE INFORMATION

Box Office 0844 871 7628 | oldvictheatre.com

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The Old Vic, The Cut, SE1 8NB

Groundhog Day Friday 15 Jul – Sat 17 Sep 2016 Mon–Sat 7.30pm; Wed & Sat 2.30pm

[No matinee performance on Sat 16 Jul, no performance on Mon 18 & Tue 19 Jul, no matinee performance on Wed 20 Jul, no performance on Mon 25 & Tue 26 Jul, no matinee performance on Wed 10 Aug, Tue 16 Aug 7pm start, no matinee performance on Wed 17 Aug, additional matinee on Thu 18 Aug. Please see website for full schedule].

TICKETS: £12 – £67.50

Save up to £7.50 on preview performances. Premium tickets and VIP packages available please call the box office for further information.

CONCESSIONS

PwC £10 Previews Half of all seats priced at £10 for the first 5 previews of every production, released 5 weeks in advance. To find out more visit oldvictheatre.com/pwcpreviews. Senior Citizens Best available seats for £30 for all midweek matinee performances. School Groups 10+ £10 for Mon - Wed eves & midweek matinees. Groups 10+ £10 off Mon – Thurs eves and midweek matinees. Disabled Patrons Price bands A - C reduced to £21 for all performances.

All concessions are limited and subject to availability. All 2016 ticket prices (apart from the PwC £10 Previews tickets & schools tickets) include a £1 restoration levy.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Old Vic is a registered charity and receives no regular subsidy. We are reliant on box office receipts, philanthropic donations and support from businesses to sustain our work both on and off the stage. That is why working in partnership with companies like RBC and PwC is so vital to us.

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RBC has a long history in Europe and has operated in the region since 1910 to serve corporate, institutional and high-net worth clients. Today, it provides a significant array of financial products and services, which are delivered by over 5,500 employees from offices in the UK, the Channel Islands, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Spain. RBC delivers financial products and services in Europe under the global brands RBC Capital Markets, RBC Wealth Management, RBC Investor & Treasury Services, RBC Global Asset Management and BlueBay Asset Management.

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