Jonathan Groff Sets March 2025 Broadway Return with JUST IN TIME

Broadway Journal

"Newly minted Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff will play the 1950s and ’60s crooner Bobby Darin in a staged reading next month, ahead of a planned Broadway opening in spring 2025, people familiar with the musical said.

The reading of Just in Time will be directed by Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge!). On Broadway, Tom Kirdahy and Robert Ahrens are set to produce the show, which tells the story of the short but eventful life of the popular performer, whose hits included “Mack the Knife,” “Dream Lover” and “Just in Time.”"

Updated On: 10/10/24 at 02:01 PM

He did a concert of Bobby Darin songs at 92Y a few years back. I had wondered if that was meant for something more.

Alex Timbers is certainly a surprising director choice for a project like this.

Who wrote the book for this?

Even with Groff and Timbers this REALLY feels like a “who’s this for” musical unless they’re going to do something incredibly interesting narratively.

Darin himself doesn’t bring in an audience in the way that the Sinatra name & songbook does. The interesting hook is his surprise death at 37, which is really more of a “what could have been” situation.

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Who wrote the book for this?

Even with Groff and Timbers this REALLY feels like a “who’s this for” musical unless they’re going to do something incredibly interesting narratively.

Darin himself doesn’t bring in an audience in the way that the Sinatra name & songbook does. The interesting hook is his surprise death at 37, which is really more of a “what could have been” situation."

Ted Chapin is writing the book for this musical.

Jonathan Groff Is Broadway-Bound In Bobby Darin Bio-Musical



https://deadline.com/2024/07/jonathan-groff-bobby-darin-broadway-musical-1236008782/

The concert also included George Salazar, Stephanie Styles, David Pittu, and Elena Shaddow. Curious to see if any of them continue with the production.

The article is saying Spring 2025. Obviously nothings confirmed, but if the rumors are true

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Who wrote the book for this?

Even with Groff and Timbers this REALLY feels like a “who’s this for” musical unless they’re going to do something incredibly interesting narratively.

Darin himself doesn’t bring in an audience in the way that the Sinatra name & songbook does. The interesting hook is his surprise death at 37, which is really more of a “what could have been” situation."

Incredibly Interesting Narratively and Alex Timbers are mutually exclusive. Unless by Incredibly Interesting Narratvely means Narratively Incoherent.

Updated On: 7/14/24 at 08:20 AM

Bobby Darin was a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and Oscar-nominated actor, whose heyday was the late '50s and '60s, and what a life he led!

And Darin dared to sing in all styles: pop, rock 'n' roll, jazz, country and folk. Elvis was a friend who'd sneak into Darin's shows to watch him perform.

Darin took showtunes, like ''Mack the Knife'' (from ''The Threepenny Opera'' ) and ''Artificial Flowers'' (from ''Tenderloin'' ), and turned them into hits.

Other Darin classics include: ''Beyond the Sea,'' ''Dream Lover'' and ''Splish Splash,'' and I can't wait to hear Jonathan Groff tackle them all with gusto.

Groff told the N.Y. Times: ''I went on YouTube ... & watched all [his] TV performances, and I was blown away by his versatility. ... His life was insane.''

Darin's life was haunted by poor health and a weak heart, so he knew he would die young (as it turned out, only 37). And his world was rocked by family secrets: At 32, he learned that the woman who was his mother was actually his grandmother, and that his sister was actually Darin's mother.

Nostalgia will bring in the older audiences, but Groff's popularity will bring in the younger ones, and I bet he'll introduce Bobby to them with glee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=557lFG-qq5g

Updated On: 7/13/24 at 09:48 PM

Let’s be clear. Bobby Darrin is more nostalgic than actually influential in the industry. That’s fine, a good story is a good story. But if the story is “died young, married Connie Francis” im not sure what actual story there is to tell.

Or do some fact checking as he married actress Sandra Dee not Connie Francis.