GROUNDHOG DAY - imPulse Happy Hour 2025
Program note: Samuel Grace
Groundhog Day (1993) is a cult-classic. Like so many "holiday" themed movies or songs, Groundhog Day has the power to remain in our public consciousness because we are reminded of it every year. In fact—just last week, Andie MacDowell was asked about the ongoing appeal of the film on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
If you are unfamiliar with the film, the plot centers around Phil Connors, an arrogant TV meteorologist, who takes a begrudging annual assignment at Punxatawney's Groundhog Festival. After spending the day antagonizing this coworkers and others, he finds himself in a never-ending time loop, repeating the exact same February 2 over and over.
When we chose February 2 for this year's annual Happy Hour performance, we instantly thought of the film as a central theme. There were obvious musical components that I thought of right away—Sonny and Cher's hit I Got You Babe, as well as Frankie Yankovic's performance of Pennsylvania Polka. Aside from that, we sought to craft a program that reflects some of the themes of the movie and Phil Connors's personal transformation. Here are some of the themes we address in our program:
Panic
When Phil begins to realize he is stuck in a never-ending and repetitive time loop, he faces a number of emotions: fear, denial, and panic. We chose to represent this with Shruthi Rajasekar's Numbers, which utilizes pseudo-minimalist and repetitive themes with named numbers as its text.
Predatory/Manipulative Behavior
Phil beings to utilize the time loop to take advantage of multiple women. He devotes dozens of days, if not more, to learning personal information about women he is interested in and uses it to seduce them. The film seeks to portray his behavior in a comedic/lighthearted way, but by today's standards, it's flat out creepy. Thus, Radiohead's 1992 hit Creep instantly came to mind. The lyrics "what the hell am I doing here—I don't belong here" are also relevant, as Phil seeks a way out of the time loop.
What Good Is It?
Throughout the film, Phil repeatedly ignores an older man who is presumably hungry and homeless. Benjamin Cramer's What Good Is It is a reminder that our thoughtful intentions do not always carry the same weight as actionable ways we can help our friends and neighbors—a lesson Phil gradually learns during the film.
Recklessness
In one of his lower moments, Phil and two town members get drunk at a local bowling alley and discuss what it would be like if there was no tomorrow: there would be no consequences. Phil drives the men home, but not before intentionally crashing into a mailbox and driving on the railroad tracks—all while fleeing police. The Drunken Sailor was an obvious choice.
Phil repeatedly commits suicide at his lowest point in the film in hopes that death would remove him from the time loop, but his character continues to wake up each morning at 6:00 a.m. on Groundhog Day. There's nothing funny about suicide—although the film tries to make light of it when he steals the groundhog and drives off the quarry, or when he tosses a toaster in the bathtub. Mary Elizabeth Frye's 1932 text "Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep" came to mind. The words "I am not there. I do not sleep" resonated with me deeply.
Permanent Resident
Later in the film, Phil begins to assume his invincible. He eats whatever he wants, steals cash, and smokes tobacco with no regard or consequence to his health. He also starts to realize that his time may be better spent by working on becoming a better person. He learns to play piano and ice sculpt, among other things. Tracy Wong's JAM! is a fun play on words in Malay that translate as: "Come, let's go" or "Come, let's go make music together and sing while passing time!" The title also roughly translates to the word "clock."
Self-Actualization
While watching the film, there is a point in time where it seems that Phil is helping others out of his own self-interest. There's also a point where his actions seem to be more selfless and geared toward the benefit of others. Although he never fully abandons his comedic flavor of arrogance, Phil's character seems to finally accept that life is not only about serving personal needs, but rather, supporting the people around you. Ben Platt's Grow As We Go seemed like an obvious fit, and it was arranged by Katherine Bodor, who regularly sings with us.
At the end of the movie, the credits roll with "Almost Like Being in Love" from Brigadoon. We thought it would be a lovely way to play out this performance.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Program note: Samuel Grace
Groundhog Day (1993) is a cult-classic. Like so many "holiday" themed movies or songs, Groundhog Day has the power to remain in our public consciousness because we are reminded of it every year. In fact—just last week, Andie MacDowell was asked about the ongoing appeal of the film on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
If you are unfamiliar with the film, the plot centers around Phil Connors, an arrogant TV meteorologist, who takes a begrudging annual assignment at Punxatawney's Groundhog Festival. After spending the day antagonizing this coworkers and others, he finds himself in a never-ending time loop, repeating the exact same February 2 over and over.
When we chose February 2 for this year's annual Happy Hour performance, we instantly thought of the film as a central theme. There were obvious musical components that I thought of right away—Sonny and Cher's hit I Got You Babe, as well as Frankie Yankovic's performance of Pennsylvania Polka. Aside from that, we sought to craft a program that reflects some of the themes of the movie and Phil Connors's personal transformation. Here are some of the themes we address in our program:
Panic
When Phil begins to realize he is stuck in a never-ending and repetitive time loop, he faces a number of emotions: fear, denial, and panic. We chose to represent this with Shruthi Rajasekar's Numbers, which utilizes pseudo-minimalist and repetitive themes with named numbers as its text.
Predatory/Manipulative Behavior
Phil beings to utilize the time loop to take advantage of multiple women. He devotes dozens of days, if not more, to learning personal information about women he is interested in and uses it to seduce them. The film seeks to portray his behavior in a comedic/lighthearted way, but by today's standards, it's flat out creepy. Thus, Radiohead's 1992 hit Creep instantly came to mind. The lyrics "what the hell am I doing here—I don't belong here" are also relevant, as Phil seeks a way out of the time loop.
What Good Is It?
Throughout the film, Phil repeatedly ignores an older man who is presumably hungry and homeless. Benjamin Cramer's What Good Is It is a reminder that our thoughtful intentions do not always carry the same weight as actionable ways we can help our friends and neighbors—a lesson Phil gradually learns during the film.
Recklessness
In one of his lower moments, Phil and two town members get drunk at a local bowling alley and discuss what it would be like if there was no tomorrow: there would be no consequences. Phil drives the men home, but not before intentionally crashing into a mailbox and driving on the railroad tracks—all while fleeing police. The Drunken Sailor was an obvious choice.
Phil repeatedly commits suicide at his lowest point in the film in hopes that death would remove him from the time loop, but his character continues to wake up each morning at 6:00 a.m. on Groundhog Day. There's nothing funny about suicide—although the film tries to make light of it when he steals the groundhog and drives off the quarry, or when he tosses a toaster in the bathtub. Mary Elizabeth Frye's 1932 text "Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep" came to mind. The words "I am not there. I do not sleep" resonated with me deeply.
Permanent Resident
Later in the film, Phil begins to assume his invincible. He eats whatever he wants, steals cash, and smokes tobacco with no regard or consequence to his health. He also starts to realize that his time may be better spent by working on becoming a better person. He learns to play piano and ice sculpt, among other things. Tracy Wong's JAM! is a fun play on words in Malay that translate as: "Come, let's go" or "Come, let's go make music together and sing while passing time!" The title also roughly translates to the word "clock."
Self-Actualization
While watching the film, there is a point in time where it seems that Phil is helping others out of his own self-interest. There's also a point where his actions seem to be more selfless and geared toward the benefit of others. Although he never fully abandons his comedic flavor of arrogance, Phil's character seems to finally accept that life is not only about serving personal needs, but rather, supporting the people around you. Ben Platt's Grow As We Go seemed like an obvious fit, and it was arranged by Katherine Bodor, who regularly sings with us.
At the end of the movie, the credits roll with "Almost Like Being in Love" from Brigadoon. We thought it would be a lovely way to play out this performance.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
- St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church (Plymouth, MN)
- Jason Hetelle
- Kate Vishneski
- Jamie Marshall
- Bea Rendón
- Brad Beale
- Amy Hahn
- Carey Shunskis
- Jared Campbell
- Klo Garoute
- Kat Felicis Ioco
- Michael Claver
- Madison Weidenfeller