Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jonathan Groff is spectacular as Bobby Darin in the hugely enjoyable bio-musical JUST IN TIME

• By drediman
• May 4, 2025
• No Comments

I also recently had the opportunity to catch Just in Time, the new Broadway musical at Circle in the Square that chronicles the life of pop star and teen idol Bobby Darin. Diagnosed with a weak heart at a young age, Darin took life by the horns and lived it with intent and passion (he died when he was only 37 years of age). The main reason audiences are likely to flock to the show is the chance to witness Jonathan Groff — who is coming off of a high having played Franklin Shepard to great acclaim in last year’s hit revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along — as Bobby Darin. In short, Groff does not disappoint.

At its core, Just in Time is little more than a starry, slickly-staged jukebox bio-musical which Broadway has seen time and time again over the years (e.g. Jersey Boys, Beautiful). That being said, production is hugely enjoyable. Aside from Groff’s spectacular performance, its success is indebted to the choice of concept that frames the musical and its execution. And as a perfectly-timed vehicle for showing off Groff’s winning personality and considerable talents, it’s a winner. Indeed, the show brilliantly rides the wave of the Tony-winner’s rising popularity, using a smart meta-theatrical entry into Darin’s story to allow Groff to be simultaneously himself and Darin as he spectacularly croons hits like “Splish Splash”, “Beyond the Sea”, and especially “Mack the Knife”, all of which are terrifically accompanied by Andrew Resnick’s onstage band and beautifully packaged in Shannon Lewis’s energetic choreography. The rest of the cast is more than serviceable — particularly fine are Emily Bergl as Darin’s sister, Michele Pawk as his mother, Erika Henningsen as Sandra Dee, and Gracie Lawrence as Connie Francis — but they ultimately serve as merely pawns in Darin’s story.

Another distinguishing strength is Alex Timbers’ staging, which embraces Circle in the Square’s unique thrust-stage configuration, providing audiences the kind of immersion that many shows strive for but rarely achieve with this degree of triumph (this is unsurprising, given that Timbers also directed Here Lies Love, one of the most immersive Broadway musicals ever mounted). For the Just in Time, the theater has been transformed into a swanky nightclub, complete with (expensively-priced) cabaret tables at which audience members have the opportunity to come into close contact with Groff’s undeniable star power.

RECOMMENDED

JUST IN TIME
Broadway, Musical
Circle in the Square
2 hours, 15 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run