For Your Consideration: “Groundhog Day: The Musical” CD Signing at Barnes and Noble

May 19^th,2017- Barnes and Noble on 86^thStreet and Lexington Avenue hosted an afternoon appearance with the cast of “Groundhog Day: The Musical”. The cast of the Tony Award-nominated Broadway show was there to perform a few songs and sign the cast recording.  On hand for this event were: Andy Karl (Phil Connors), Barrett Doss (Rita Hanson),   Andrew Call (Gus/understudy for Andy Karl), Raymond J. Lee (Ralph), Rebecca Faulkenberry (Nancy Taylor), and Danny Rubin (created the book for the show).

By 8:41 am, a small crowd had assembled outside the Barnes and Noble on a balmy Friday morning-ahead of the store’s 9 am opening.  Once admitted they went down the escalator, and it was off to find the Audio and Video section located towards the back. They purchased the CD and picked up their wristband.  Cashiers rung up the sales and instructed the customers to return in time for the signing.

I was one of the first to purchase the CDs that day,and walked around a bit (making a side trip to the MET) before getting on the line at 1:30pm. The 86^th street and Lexington Avenue Barnes and Noble has an events room set aside for appearances. Located a level below the main floor, it had a stage that could be seen through the glass doors. On both sides of the stage, there was a poster-sized picture of the CD booklet cover for “Groundhog Day: The Musical”.  You could hear the tech crew testing the microphones around the room as well as on the stage before placing them in the stands, which were off the side. While the tech crew worked the sound, the store assistants were setting up the chairs for the press and wristband holders.

The preliminaries to this event were something to see. Besides the mics being tested, the people at the soundboard were testing the audio tracks that would accompany the show’s performers that afternoon.  Once soundboard work was complete, it was time for the lighting crew to illuminate the stage as well as the posters that rested on it; In the darkness, you could see the minimal shadow of the 4 rows of seats that made up the center section of the room.       

By 3:30pm, store event procedures were now taking place on both sides of the glass doors. As the guards re-organized the line and were checking in the press, the cast walked on stage to do soundcheck for the four numbers they were going to do that afternoon.  Stools were arranged and removed. Mic stands were brought in, adjusted.  Some of the cast asked the sound board about adjusting the track under them.

A half-hour or so later, the press and crowd were let in via the two sets of glass doors. A representative from the store led those with wristbands in 5 or so at a time. The crowd filed in along the 1^st central row until it was full; the side rows would be filled afterward. There were some reserved rows on one side for the cast and press.

When it was time for the event to start, a representative from Barnes and Noble laid down the rules for the performance/CD signing.  Steven Sorrentino, the event supervisor, was called up to the stage next to thank the “Groundhog Day: the Musical” cast for being there that day and provide his opinion on Broadway cast recordings. His prologue done, he introduced Danny Rubin to the stage.

Danny Rubin, screenwriter of the 1993 movie version and who also wrote the show’s book, came on stage to introduce the musical numbers. He was very witty and amusing to listen to as he provided some background information regarding the show’s creation itself. Rubin explained how an odd melody came to him that helped create the song   “Nobody Cares”. He mentioned the” meta-moment” that he wanted to create in this show that became the song “Playing Nancy”. In introducing the song “If I Had My Time Again”, Rubin related the timeline of the song’s inception from “dreaming “it up to the final draft of the song.  For the final number of the event, “Seeing You”, he really brought home to the crowd the message the song was trying to convey.

The performances were amazing to watch from the first row. “Nobody Cares” was sung by Andrew Call, Raymond J. Lee, and Andy Karl, complete with some small gestures that  showed how the scene plays out in the show. “Playing Nancy” was wonderfully performed by Rebecca Faulkenberry.   “If I Had My Time Again” was a duet for Andy Karl and Barrett Doss, in which Andy Karl added the original line from the song for Danny Rubin’s enjoyment. Andy Karl really showed the emotional journey of the character through his performance of “Seeing You”.

After the songs were done, the press took photos of the cast, and watched them settle in for the CD signing.  The crowd formed a line in row order. They were told to have their CD booklets in hand and not to lose their CD cases in the process.  The line had the guests seated with a paper nameplate in front of them.  The table was aligned as follows: Danny Rubin, Rebecca Faulkenberry, Raymond J. Lee, Andrew Call, Barrett Dos, and Andy Karl.  Each were courteous and very approachable to everyone they met.

When all the autographs were signed, the “Groundhog Day: the Musical” cast were sent off in cars to head back to Times Square for their evening performance.  Their graciousness extended outside of the signing: Danny Rubin and Andrew Call even took time out to take photos with people outside while waiting for their ride to arrive.  Overall, the event went very well, and all those who attended went home with a CD they could listen to over…and over…and over…