Jonathan Groff Returning to Broadway as Performer Bobby Darin in ‘Just in Time’ Musical

Jonathan Groff, a recent Tony winner for “Merrily We Roll Along,” is returning to Broadway. He’s set to star in “Just In Time,” a new musical about the life and times of singer Bobby Darin.

Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre will be transformed into an intimate and immersive night club, complete with a live band and ensemble of 16 to perform Darin’s hits like “Splish Splash,” “Beyond the Sea,” “Mack the Knife” and “Dream Lover.” Alex Timbers, the Tony-winning “Moulin Rouge” director, is developing and directing the show.

“Just In Time” will chart the “great American entertainer’s meteoric journey — from soaring highs to crushing lows […] whose short but remarkable life took him from teen idol to global sensation, inspiring generations of performers who followed,” according to the official logline. Darin began his career as a songwriter and rose to fame in the music and film industries during the 1950s and ’60s. He died in 1973 at age 37 due to complications from open heart surgery.

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“Bobby Darin was a supernova. He blazed his way through every corner of the entertainment industry, but his enormous talent, charisma, and pure genius were most on display when he was letting it rip in front of a crowd. This primal passionate love affair he had with the audience was the inspiration for our show’s conceit,” said Groff, who is also serving as a producer on the project. “Alex Timber’s distinctive ability to make going to the theater an unforgettable event and Bobby’s signature musicality and explosive fleeting life make Broadway the perfect place to experience the story and essence of this once in a lifetime talent.”

Groff won the Tony for playing Franklin Shepard in the 2023 “Merrily We Roll Along” revival. He’s received prior nominations for portraying King George in “Hamilton” and Melchior Gabor in “Spring Awakening.” His film and television credits include “Mindhunter,” “Glee,” “Frozen” and “The Matrix Resurrections.”

“Just In Time” will open on April 23, 2025, with previews beginning on March 28. Warren Leight (“Side Man”) and Isaac Oliver (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) wrote the book with music supervision and arrangements by Andrew Resnick (“Parade”) and choreography by Shannon Lewis. The show is based on an original concept by Ted Chapin.

“Bobby Darin worked across many genres of music, but he was most alive performing in intimate nightclubs,” Timbers said. “And so, it was vital to Jonathan and myself that we stage ‘Just In Time’ at Circle in the Square. This is where we could build an environmental nightclub setting including a live, onstage big band that will allow the same sort of intimacy and electrifying audience connection that both Bobby and Jonathan are known for.”

Producers Tom Kirdahy, Robert Ahrens and John Frost added, “We are honored to celebrate the legacy of the great Bobby Darin with the inimitable Jonathan Groff under the visionary direction of Alex Timbers. Just in time indeed!”