Jonathan Groff in THE BOBBY DARIN STORY at 92Y- Page 2

[mpkie]

Posted: 1/21/18 at 4:59pm

Thoughts after show:

I didn't have any previous exposure to Bobby Darin, so I actually read his Wikipedia page first. I really enjoyed the storytelling overlaying the musical selections. The performances were pretty spectacular in the capable hands of the very talented cast and band, which of course, largely features Jonathan Groff. I'm in the camp where I'll listen to anything Groff and he delivers. Extremely charismatic.

The first act is exciting and up tempo. Time flies as you listen to the story of his humble beginnings, ambition, and rising fame.

The second act gets pretty somber, and as a result feels sleepier.

It was quite fun to hear the audience whispers of recognition when certain songs came on. As I was leaving I heard various comments that this was "one of the better ones" and that other shows have been "amateurish" in comparison. Good to know.

Tldr; really enjoyed it. If you're a Jonathan Groff fan it's a no-brainer.

[Writergirl2]

Posted: 1/21/18 at 5:12pm

I was there too and loved every minute.
I have a soft spot for standards and a band with an upright bass and horns so no surprise there, but my teenage son (who loves JG and George Salazar) was equally enthralled.
Jonathan Groff is such a talent. He'd make a great Tonys host!

[smidge]

Posted: 1/21/18 at 5:26pm

Was also there this afternoon and Groff can make anybody fall in love with him. The whole cast was in top shape vocally and alternated singing the songs. Covered a lot of ground in just under 2 hours. The audience ate it up!

[Danielle49]

Posted: 1/21/18 at 9:14pm

If you can make it to one of the performances tomorrow, do it. Jonathan Groff is such a charmer, and an incredible talent. That man needs to come back to Broadway. His final solo got such a long applause break those onstage looked shocked.

Alex Timbers did an incredible job directing the evening. Felt like the roots of a jukebox musical, which goodness knows we have too many of. The audience knew the songs and fell in love. Standing ovation after the show (not rare nowadays, but you could tell this audience meant it). A woman who sat behind me goes to all of these apparently and said this is the best she's seen. Grab tickets if they're not sold out!

[StephieElise]

Posted: 1/21/18 at 11:47pm

SweetLips said: "A friends'[an 80yo female] report on the Melbourne production of Dream Lover-----'It was sensational---a real Hollywood musical. David Campbell, WOW- a super voice, excellent casting. The music, costumes, dancers and staging all first class. All on stage were fabulous. A full house and a total standing ovation'.

Now I can't wait for it to come to Brisbane."

I’ll be seeing Dream Lover late next month. I don’t know much about Bobby Darin, but I also didn’t know anything about Dusty Springfield before seeing Dusty (which is also by John Michael Howson) and loved that, so I’m excited! Funnily enough, I’ve only ever seen David Campbell live at Carols by Candlelight, so I’m pleased I get to see him in such a big role (even though I’m a bigger fan of his daughter Betty - an absolute star in the making!).

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 1/22/18 at 12:56am

Completely irrelevant to this particular thread, but just on the heels of those saying Jonathan Groff needs to come back to Broadway: I am still holding out to see his Bobby in a full production of Company someday. One of my very top dream-casting choices.

[nychappy]

Posted: 1/22/18 at 12:41pm

I caught the show opening night, and as expected, Groff was wonderful. His parents were sitting near me, and it was also fun to watch them watch him performing.  And yes, I would LOVE to see Groff as Bobby in Company!

[Danielle49]

Posted: 1/23/18 at 2:45pm

For anyone interested, the 92Y released this photo from the weekend! It was wonderful. Photo: Richard Termine



 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 1/23/18 at 5:01pm

This was a really wonderful night. The Lyrics and Lyricists concerts tend to follow the format of a lecture interrupted by songs. This one was somewhere between a concert and an actual play. It's not quite Jersey Boys or Beautiful but if you told me they were workshopping a small off-Broadway jukebox musical, I'd believe you. Not sure there'd be an audience for that but that's beside the point. They did a great job choosing songs, with the advantage of having a big catalog and a lot of the songs Darin wrote obviously applying well to conveying his life story. The songs for his "mother" and 18 Yellow Roses were particularly good story moments.

And Jonathan Groff is definitely a charmer. Someone needs to write him a role so he can really show off what he's capable of.