Can a stage musical of Groundhog Day possibly compare with the iconic 1993 film starring Bill Murray? Most definitely, yes. Like all good adaptations, this iteration, smoothly directed by Bryce Britton at Lakewood Theatre in Lake Oswego, plumbs the humor and depths of the original material, then takes them in new and surprising directions.

I imagine that one of the most daunting challenges to staging this show must be finding a lead actor who can come within a mile of Murray’s unique genius as the self-centered Pittsburgh TV weatherman Phil Connors. With a less talented and charismatic star, a production could fall flat, but that’s not the case here. Travis Bilenski, with his strong singing and powerful presence, wowed from the first moment he stepped on stage for the April 25 opening night performance, proving to be equally impressive as the sarcastic sleazeball Phil and his more sensitive self that eventually evolved.

As in the movie, the plot of the show centers on Phil’s assignment to travel to little old Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover the annual Groundhog Day celebration, where the quaint folks geek out in the town square, awaiting news of whether or not the groundhog has seen its shadow.

Here, the inexhaustible ensemble of colorful hometown characters are in continuous motion as they bounce around with big-smiling enthusiasm, waving mylar pom poms and batting around a beach ball. Sporting costumes by Laura Helgesen, the characters include a slouchy-beanie-wearing hippie who’s always holding flowers, a waitress in a retro-style uniform, and an unnamed character dressed in a groundhog suit and carrying a bright sunshine face mounted on a long pole.

Of course the cynical Phil sees the whole spectacle as being far beneath his status as a minor TV celebrity and takes no pains to hide his contempt, which he expresses in song (music and lyrics by Tim Minchin). “[B]ig mouths, small ideas” is how he sums up the Punxsutawney folks, who also earn his pity. Because they live in a town with “One bar one store one clock/One diner one bank one cop,” he caustically admires “their balls getting out of bed at all.”

With little dialog and a lot of such singing and talk-singing, Groundhog Day has the feel of a contemporary light opera, relying on music, movement and a delightfully mobile set to tell the surreal story of a man who, for unexplained reasons, must relive the same day over and over again.

To establish the magical tone, lights designed by Dug Martell are projected on the curtain to suggest large snowflakes, followed by the entrance of Punxsutawney officials in tuxes carrying candles through a foggy Groundhog Day Eve. Behind them is a platform featuring homey lattice work, where the shows’ musicians (conducted by Alicia Barrett, with musical direction by Alex Trull) perform.

Sponsor

Beneath the platform, John Gerth’s clever set design includes two doors that conceal Phil’s B&B bed, allowing it to appear and disappear in a blink, a neat trick that’s as enjoyable as the fabulous cast’s antics as they sing as well as dance choreography by Chynna Rae Shurts. To further create a sense of mystery about the looping day, strings of colorful lights flash as characters walk backwards, moving in slo-mo. Phil’s kind producer, Rita (Madison Curtis), is especially humorous as she waves to Phil as if moving her arm through molasses.

Because the story presents the repeated cycle of death and rebirth, religious leaders continue to see their own faiths represented in the film.

Harold Ramis, the movie’s director and co-writer (with Danny Rubin, who wrote the musical’s book), told The New York Times in a 2003 interview, ”At first I would get mail saying, ‘Oh, you must be a Christian, because the movie so beautifully expresses Christian belief’…[t]hen rabbis started calling from all over, saying they were preaching the film as their next sermon. And the Buddhists! Well, I knew they loved it, because my mother-in-law has lived in a Buddhist meditation center for 30 years and my wife lived there for 5 years.”

Whatever you make of the show’s association with spirituality, Lakewood’s production starts out feeling like a goofy block party, only to morph into something more meaningful, sometimes in ways that weren’t explored in the movie.

The character of Nancy (a splendid Kylie Jenifer Rose), a woman Phil maneuvers into bed, using details he’s learned about her over a series of repeating days, is a prime example of the musical’s added depth. In the film, Nancy is a one-note joke, but the play features her singing a moving solo about always being seen as a sex object. “I learned back in my teens,” she sings, “There’s no point in protestin’/If you look good in tight jeans/That’s what they’ll want you dressed in.”

Somehow this major change from the original feels just right in a play that also includes a humanizing detail about the pesky insurance salesman Ned Ryerson (Mike “Tuba” McKinsey), who also performs the soul-searching solo “Night Will Come.”

Skillfully balancing such sobering moments with giddy fun, the play is a well-timed reminder that a thoughtful and thoroughly entertaining musical is worth repeated viewings.

Sponsor

***

Groundhog Day: The Musical continues at Lakewood Center for the Arts (368 S. State St., Lake Oswego) through June 8. Find schedules and tickets here.