NEW YORK–From the moment Jonathan Groff emerges onstage in the Broadway musical “Just in Time” and announces he’ll “be your Bobby Darin tonight,” it’s clear this won’t be a standard jukebox musical. This is not a straightforward narrative with a collection of tunes by the subject. Groff holds center stage in a tour-de-force performance as he sings, dances, and takes the audience on an exploration of Darin’s life.
A multi-talented performer with a musical style that ranged from ballad to rock and roll, Bobby Darin (1936–1973) was a driven man who pushed himself and those around him to the limit when it came to his career. His drive was cited as a reason for the breakup of his marriage to actress Sandra Dee (Erika Henningsen).
His desire to succeed was shaped by the realization he probably didn’t have long to live. Born Robert Walden Cassotto, he was sickly child who suffered several bouts of rheumatic fever. When he was 8, overheard his doctor say he most likely wouldn’t live past 16. Darin resolved to cram as much life as possible into whatever time he had left.
The Performance
Groff makes it clear that Darin was happiest when performing in front of a live audience. He fed off the electricity of the crowd. That atmosphere is reflected in the show’s nightclub-like staging and frequent musical interludes. Many of the tunes, including “Dream Lover” and “If I Were a Carpenter” are worked into the narrative without explanation as to how or why they came into being.A notable exception is “Splish Splash,” a novelty song that became Darin’s first big hit. This decision allows book writers Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver to avoid the trap of including as many songs as possible at the expense of the overall story.
Darin’s temperament and self-confidence eventually becomes a double-edged sword. Resisting from the start any attempt by the music industry to pigeonhole him in one specific type of style, he uses his burgeoning clout to record the Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill song “Mack the Knife” and inject it with a jazz beat. It becomes a massive hit and serves as a delightful Act 1 closer.
But later, when he tries to get involved in politics and the changing musical tastes of the times, such as folk tunes and protest songs, he’s hit with a devastating one-two punch. A long-buried family secret sends him into an emotional tailspin. The public roundly rejects his attempts to branch out creatively. Once, he even admonishes an audience by saying that if they want to hear his old tunes, they should go out and buy his records.
With this performance, Groff is surely a frontrunner for the title of the hardest working performer on Broadway. He does an excellent job as he easily slips into the Darin persona, presenting him warts and all. He also combines the character’s “my way or the highway” attitude with a little-lost-boy effect when he’s hit with unexpected news. Darin’s return to live performing—at times in ways he didn’t want to do—becomes his shield against the outside world by creating a world where he’s in total control.
Groff is helped by a very able cast. At points, many characters “freeze” the ongoing action to add their own interpretations of events. Among the standouts are Gracie Lawrence as singer Connie Francis, the first great love of Darin’s life. The character gets to belt out a few numbers of her own.
Henningsen’s quietly restrained performance as Dee is a sharp contrast to the intense Darin. Michele Pawk is perfect as Darin’s mother, exuding a steadying, matronly presence. Also very good is Joe Barbara’s understated performance as Charlie Maffia. This family member becomes Darin’s underappreciated but very necessary valet who cares for Darin enough to put up with all his foibles. A particularly telling and awkward moment occurs when Charlie delivers uncomfortable news to Dee. Darin—who’s on the road at the time—wants a divorce.
Also enjoyable is the work by Valeria Yamin, Christine Cornish, and Julia Grondin as Darin’s backup singers— referred to here as the “Sirens.”
Direction by Alex Timbers, who also developed the project, perfectly juggles these different perspectives while helping to meld the spoken and musical moments. The orchestrations by Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber are wonderful. Since none of the instruments are overmiked, there’s no problem with hearing any of the lyrics.
While “Just in Time” doesn’t paint a complete picture of Darin’s life (it doesn’t mention his second marriage or later work in television) it’s breezy, intense, and brimming with passion—just like Darin was. Thanks to a fantastic performance by Groff, it’s an absolutely terrific experience.
