Groundhog Day has such potential as a musical it's unreal. In the film, a man wakes up every morning stuck in the day before, continually reliving his life. In a much harsher reality, the character Claire in Fuddy Meers wakes up every day with no recollection of the day before, beginning every day a fresh. Thankfully, without the need to resort to show stopping musical numbers, David Lindsay-Abaire has brought a classier, straighter version of the premise into an interesting and funny new comedy.
Every morning when Clare wakes up, she forgets the events of her life; her name, her husband, her child, her house. When a disfigured man kidnaps her from her bedroom at the beginning of another of her long days, we know this is not going to be an ordinary time ahead. Along the way she meets a foul-mouthed puppet, a strangely admiring husband, some convicts, and her mother, whom she only knows from a photo.
First seen at the Manhattan Theater Club in 1999, it has taken five years and many rumours before opening at its pre-West End venue at the Birmingham Rep. Names such as Calista Flockhart and Jane Krakowski were attached to the lead role - but I'm relieved to report that in Katie Finneran, an inspired piece of casting has been made.
Finneran's beauty in capturing the innocence and confusion in Claire, an amnesiac who has no idea she is married with a son, is simply astounding - you are taken into her every move and are continually drawn to her stance, her warmth. Her naivety knows no limits, and yet she comes out with dominance and with a powerful emotional attachment.
In a largely American cast that contains not a single weak actor, British veteran Julia McKenzie is given a ground to showcase her versatility. As a victim of a stroke, her character can no longer speak in coherent sentences. The result is a warmly amusing, touching realisation. Matthew Lillard, of Scooby Doo fame, gives an enjoyable performances, and proves that those who are considered 'Hollywood stars' have become Hollywood stars due to their immense acting talents.
At times it gets confusing - people hiding behind other identities, puppets with human emotions - but this is a device Lindsay-Abaire has purposely used. The fact that we are as in the dark to the events surrounding Claire as she is means we have a much greater attachment to the character. Of course, everything falls into place eventually, and the powerful ending has you speculating for a long time to come.
Fuddy Meers is at the Birmingham Rep until May 8th. It opens in the West End at the Arts Theatre on May 25th.
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