“Just in Time,” a new musical recounting the life and career of singer-songwriter Bobby Darin, will take a world-premiere bow on Broadway. Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff will star as Darin in the musical, set to begin previews on March 28, 2025, and open on April 23 at Circle in the Square Theatre. Tony winner Alex Timbers will direct the tuner, which will feature a book co-written by Tony winner Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver set to songs made popular by Darin. Tom Kirdahy, Robert Ahrens and John Frost will serve as lead producers on the musical, which is based on a concept by Ted Chapin.
To accommodate the musical, the Circle in the Square will be transformed into an immersive nightclub, reminiscent of the venues in which Darin performed. Darin’s song catalog includes classics like “Splish Splash” and “Dream Lover,” as well as covers of “Mack the Knife” and “Beyond the Sea.”
“Bobby Darin worked across many genres of music, but he was most alive performing in intimate nightclubs,” said Timbers in a statement. “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.”
Groff won the 2024 Leading Actor in a Musical Tony for his turn in “Merrily We Roll Along.” He received additional nominations for featured roles in “Hamilton” and “Spring Awakening.” On television, Groff has appeared in “Mindhunter,” “Looking” and “Glee.” His voice can be heard as the voice of Kristoff in the “Frozen” film franchise.
A Tony winner for helming 2019’s “Moulin Rouge!,” Timbers was also nominated for directing “Peter and the Starcatcher” and writing the book for “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.” In the 2023-2024 Broadway season, Timbers directed both “Here Lies Love” and “Gutenberg! The Musical!” and served as creative consultant on “Just for Us.”
No stranger to penning works chronicling musicians, Leight is a Best Play Tony winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist for the jazz-infused “Side Man.” Leight’s television résumé includes “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “In Treatment.” More recently, he spent nearly a decade as executive producer and showrunner of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
Oliver is the author of “Intimacy Idiot,” a collection of essays. He performed his solo show “Isaac Oliver Sits Down” at Joe’s Pub. Oliver has written for the television shows “High Maintenance,” “Glow,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Etoile.”
“Bobby Darin was a supernova,” said Groff, who will also serve as a producer. “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.”
Additional members of the musical’s creative team include choreographer Shannon Lewis and music supervisor/arranger Andrew Resnick.
Complete members of the creative team and company will be announced.
