National Geographic Traveller

IMAGES: MANUEL HARLAN; JOHAN PERSSON

T here's no business...

Not all musicals are the same — a clutch of new stage shows

are converting cynics across the globe

Most of us know where we stand on musicals

— you either fi nd them exhilarating and life-

a rming or you recoil at the thought of plot

being developed through song.

But once in a while a production comes

along that manages to appeal to even those

cynics who consider themselves

immune. These cut-through

shows o en harness the

credibility of something outside

of the genre: with The Producers,

it was the cult fi lm of the same

name; with The Book of

Mormon it was the

South Park connection;

and with Hamilton, it

was hip-hop.

Musicals on t he move

LONDON

Hamilton

The smash hit hip-hop history opens at the

Victoria Palace Theatre in October 2017. Tickets

on sale in November. hamiltonthemusical.co.uk

TORONTO

Matilda

A Roald Dahl story with Tim Minchin songs,

Matilda is a transatlantic hit, now at Toronto’s Ed

Mirvish Theatre. mirvish.com/matilda

MELBOURNE

The Book of Mormon

Outrageous comedy from the creators of South

Park opens in January at the Princess Theatre.

bookofmormonmusical.com.au

Groundhog Day // With its roots in the

Christian tradition of Candlemas, which

German settlers took across the Atlantic, it’s

celebrated across North America on 2 February

Groundhog Day — which just fi nished a

10-week run at the Old Vic theatre in London

— piggybacks on the enduring popularity of

Bill Murray, star of the 1993 fi lm.

With its emphasis on repetition — our hero,

Phil Connors (the Murray character played by

Andy Karl) is condemned to relive the same

day over and over again — Groundhog Day

isn’t an obvious fi lm to bring to the stage.

But the London run could hardly have been

more successful, with critics won over by the

imaginative production, its breathless set-

changes and the songs of Tim Minchin.

The show will now attempt to wow critics

on Broadway, as it’s set to open in New York’s

August Wilson Theatre on 17 April 2017.

Musical refuseniks, take note. GLEN MUTEL

Andy Karl and Carlyss

Peer in Groundhog Day

November 2016 27

MUSICALS // SMART TRAVELLER