Jonathan Groff stars as bobby Darrin in this new Broadway musical.
The Guardian: *** “The show puts an interesting twist on the cliche of a past-his-prime singer becoming a nightclub nostalgia act – typically a sad, pitiable fate for a pop star instead presented as a victory, a return to form and homecoming worthy of one of the show’s most vivacious numbers. Both Darin and Groff understood the implicit contract of a performer: lend one’s time in exchange for entertainment. The retro style of show will appeal to some Broadway-heads more than others, but on that promise, at least, Groff more than delivers.”
Variety: “It is the central irony — and the musical’s core problem — that “Just in Time” presents itself openly as a glorified tribute concert.”
New York Times: “Groff is still swimming, right to the end. Dismayed as I was to endure so much else, I have to admit he’s giving one of Broadway’s best performances. So who’s sorry now?”
Entertainment Weekly: “The sense of wonder is immediate: the second you enter the theater, scenic designer Derek McLane has transformed the space into a smoky 1950s nightclub, recreating the very settings where Darin performed decades prior. But when the spotlight hits and the music begins, it’s Jonathan Groff who takes the stage — and not just literally. “
New York Stage Review: **** “But it all comes back to Groff. Buoyed by Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber’s kicky orchestrations, his renditions of Darin’s standards—the brassy, hard-edged “Mack the Knife,” with those insistent key changes, and the absolutely manic, horn-crazed “Once in a Lifetime”—are thrilling. The show is a testament to one man’s pure, unabashed love of performing. Make that two men.”
Time Out: **** “First things first: Just in Time is a helluva good time at the theater. It’s not just that, but that’s the baseline. Staged in a dazzling rush by Alex Timbers, the show summons the spirit of a 1960s concert at the Copacabana by the pop crooner Bobby Darin—as reincarnated by one of Broadway’s most winsome leading men, the radiant sweetie Jonathan Groff, who gives the performance his considerable all.”
Deadline: “Just in Time, directed by Alex Timbers from an original concept by Ted Chapin, is an ideal showcase for Groff, in no small part due to the rather ingenious premise of the bio-musical: In a very effective framing device, Groff is introduced to the stage as Groff, setting up the show’s ground rules: Groff isn’t playing Darin, he’s playing Groff playing Darin, a conceit that allows the star not only to break the fourth wall but that sets him free to speak directly about why he is so taken by a singer who died in 1973, making us care too.”
The Daily Beast: “The razzle-dazzle of “Just in Time,” a bio-musical about Bobby Darin, is undeniable, with the show—Jonathan Groff at its helm—most solid when singing rather than telling.”
The Wrap: “Get ready to book the Palace, the Palladium, the Hollywood Bowl and the Baths of Caracalla! “Just in Time,” the new Bobby Darin bio-musical that opened Saturday at Circle in the Square, makes it clear that headliner Jonathan Groff is ready for his own solo show on any of the world’s most famous stages.”
Vulture.com: “The energy verges from electric to manic, in a way that makes you wonder Is Jonathan Groff telling us that he would like to die mid-performance? All right, that’s an exaggeration, but it does move the question of what a star gets out of entertaining, and what an audience gets out of receiving that performance, right to the center of the show, more so than the specific biography of Darin himself. It’s like Prospero at the end of The Tempest turning to the audience to be, finally, released by their applause—if Prospero were wearing a tuxedo and crooning “Beyond the Sea.” Still, as you from crimes would pardoned be, let your indulgence set him free. Cue the megamix.”
New York Post: ““Just in Time” is a wallop of joy, though. And while it doesn’t shy away from Darin’s heart struggles, anatomically and romantically, the musical is never gloomy.”
New York Theatre Guide: ” This production chooses to celebrate Bobby Darin as a consummate artist who kept pushing the envelope of his career.”
Theatrely.com: “With a terrific full band right on stage the entire time, we are transported to the streets of East Harlem, Vegas, and even Portofino thanks to versatile nightclub scenic design by Derek McLane. I task you with finding a leading man today with half the charisma that Jonathan Groff possesses. He brings not just the story, but the very soul of Bobby Darin to life. If there is one musical to see this season, you might as well grab your bathing suit and come Splish Splash in the basement of Wicked – you won’t be disappointed. “
New York theater.me: “But it’s fans of Jonathan Groff who are best served by the show – and those theatergoers who might discover Groff at the same time as Darin.”
To find out more visit: https://justintimebroadway.com/