Producer Scott Rudin Withdraws from Broadway-Bound GROUNDHOG DAY Musical

According to The New York Times, Scott Rudin has withdrawn as a producer for the upcoming musical stage adaptation of GROUNDHOG DAY. The production is set to premiere at London's Old Vic Theater this July before making the transfer to Broadway next January.

In an emailed statement, Rudin explained, "The production in New York is going to be a transfer of the London production, which is not how we had originally conceived the project when I joined it. The more it evolved, the more it felt that there was no way for me to do what I like to do, so I asked to withdraw. Not every ideal show happens in the ideal circumstances for everyone involved. I wish them well with it. It's a great show, and I'm sure it will be a big hit."

Rudin's upcoming Broadway projects include THE FRONT PAGE and HELLO DOLLY!

While a spokeswoman for the Old Vic declined to comment, the news was confirmed by two other producers of the show, Lia Vollack, of Sony Pictures, and André Ptaszynski, of Whistle Pig Productions who said in a joint statement: "Scott came to us last week and said he didn't feel this was something he wanted to continue with in its current configuration. We met about it, we did our best to convince him otherwise as we are all close friends, but in the end we respect his decision. We are grateful for his work over the last two years, and we certainly wish we could have completed this journey together."

As BWW reported earlier today, the world premiere of GROUNDHOG DAY has been delayed because of the 'technical requirements' involved in the production. Previews are now postponed until July 15th with an opening night of August 16th.

The musical will star Carlyss Peer as Rita Hanson, alongside Andy Karl in the role of Phil Connors. Eugene McCoy plays cameraman Larry, and the ensemble cast includes 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, Jenny O'Leary, Leanne Pinder, Mark Pollard, Damien Poole, Jack Shalloo, Andrew Spillett and Spencer Stafford.

Groundhog Day is the story of Phil Connors, 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 new musical is created by the team behind hit musical Matilda - Old Vic artistic directorMatthew Warchus, composer and lyricist Tim Minchin, choreographer Peter Darling and designer Rob Howell ­- alongside writer Danny Rubin. It's based on the 1993 Bill Murray-starring Columbia Pictures film, which had a screenplay by Rubin and Harold Ramis.