Andy Karl, the freshly minted Olivier Award winner who plays the lead role of Phil Connors in the new Broadway musical Groundhog Day, was injured and the production halted during the second act of the show on April 14. The production’s press representative made the following statement:



“At approximately 10:30 in the second act of Groundhog Day, during the song ‘Philanthropy,’ Andy Karl injured himself during the performance and left the stage. The show was stopped. Andy insisted on finishing the show and after a 15-minute break went onstage with a cane. Following the performance Andy was taken to see a doctor.”



April 14 was a first-night press performance, one of a few select dates when reviewing press typically attends. Additional first-night press performances are scheduled for the matinee and evening shows on April 15. Groundhog Day is scheduled to officially open at the August Wilson Theatre on April 17.



This isn't the first time a performance of Groundhog Day has been stopped. A malfunction in the show's set caused the musical's first preview performance to be held 15 minutes in. In that instance the cast also continued with the show—free of staging and choreography.



In a post on his personal Instagram, Andy Karl provided the following update: "I'm home now and I have no broken bones but tweaked my knee after a poorly landed leap frog." Karl's good-spirited post said that he'll be seeing a specialist before returning to the stage. Whether that happens before the April 15 matinee remains to be seen.