How the same day repeats endlessly for this Ballarat performer

Ms Cole is part of the ensemble of Groundhog Day The Musical which tells the story of a weather reporter sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in small-town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania who gets caught in a time loop and relives the same day again and again.

Her path to the bright lights on stage began as a toddler in Ballarat when she started ballet lessons as a three-year-old at Ballarat Ballet Centre - the same dream that many local dancers share.

"That's where it all started," she said.

Ms Cole continued dance lessons in Ballarat until her early teens when her parents drove her back and forth to a Melbourne dance school, while remaining heavily involved in Ballarat's dance scene.

A veteran of Royal South Street dance competitions, one of Ms Cole's favourite theatres remains Ballarat's Her Majesty's Theatre, which is currently closed for renovations.

"It's such an amazing theatre to perform in, an incredible experience," she said.

At 16 she left Ballarat for her first professional musical theatre role, moving to Sydney to perform in 42^nd Street and continued in musicals until her early 20s.

She then moved into straight acting roles with plays at various theatre companies, on television and in film, and she co-founded the independent Melbourne Red Stitch theatre company.

But musicals beckoned and in 2015 she returned to musicals with Sweet Charity.

Groundhog Day The Musical, based on the 1993 movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray, was on her list of musicals she would love to perform in after seeing it on Broadway in New York.

When a Melbourne season of the musical was announced, she was quick to audition.

"It's such a smart show ... with real people on stage, not a chorus line. It's very character-based, with real people in this town, which is right up my alley," she said.

Ms Cole is part of the ensemble, playing a piano teacher and some of the general townsfolk of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

Australian composer Tim Minchin worked with Danny Rubin, the original writer of the film, to transform Groundhog Day in to a musical.

"It celebrates this very bizarre day that attracts thousands and thousands of people. Groundhog Day dates back to Celtic traditions where they pull out some rodent for weather divination ... that brought it to Pennsylvania," Ms Cole said.

"It's a huge, wonderful, ritualistic event with an ancient aspect to it with elders who all have names ... they know that it's strange and silly but they also lean right in to it. There's joy at this ridiculous day and you need that in life ... and that's what Phil (Connors - the lead weatherman character) is lacking."

Connors, played by Andy Karl who originated the role on Broadway and performed it in London, gets stuck in a time loop on a day that repeats and repeats, though some things repeat slightly differently.

Ms Cole said the show leaned in to human nature.

"We are complicated humans, sometimes not that nice, and we are very funny with a dark sense of humour. We are smart and dumb and all of that. We sit at home watching shows like Succession. We want bite, wonderful language and want humour that trips us up and delights us and speaks to our intelligence and that is what this show does."

Groundhog Day The Musical is at Melbourne's Princess Theatre until April 7.