Tony Awards watch: Jonathan Groff to play Bobby Darin on Broadway this season
Fresh off his Tony-winning turn in a revival of Stephen Sondheim’ “Merrily We Roll Along,” Jonathan Groff will return to the rialto next spring in the new Bobby Darin jukebox musical “Just in Time.” Tony-winning director Alex Timbers (“Moulin Rouge”) will oversee the production that is set to transform the Circle in the Square theater into a nightclub complete with a swing band.
Groff will lead a cast of 16 to tell the story of this singer/songwriter who was only 37 when he died of heart disease in 1973. Darin had a string of hits in the 1950s including the chart-topping “Splish Splash,” “Dream Lover,” “Mack the Knife” and “Just in Time.” He turned to acting in the 1960s, often opposite his wife Sandra Dee (they met making “Come September” in 1961). He reaped an Oscar bid in 1963 for his supporting turn as a shell-shocked soldier in “Captain Newman, M.D.” In the 1970s, he headlined several successful TV variety shows.
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Darin’s story will be told by Tony-winning playwright Warren Leight (“Side Man”) and Emmy nominee Isaac Oliver (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”). Shannon Lewis is handling the choreography and Andrew Resnick is overseeing the arrangements. Joining Groff as producers are Robert Ahrens, John Frost, and Tom Kirdahy.
Previews are set to begin March 25, with opening night scheduled for April 23. That is just before the cut-off for eligibility at the 2025 Tony Awards. Third time proved to be charm for Groff at these top Broadway honors. He had contended in 2007 for his leading role in the Best Musical “Spring Awakening” and again in 2016 for his featured turn as King George III in the smash hit “Hamilton.”
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