IN THE WAKE OF YES
Jun 10, 2025
SWAN LAKE
Jun 17, 2025Review by Celia Ipiotis
No matter your relationship to the music of Bobby Darrin, once you enter Circle in The Square to see Just in Time you will exit on a cloud of theatrical euphoria. Rumor has it that Darrin’s live shows were electric and if JonathanGroff’s performance is any indicator, then Darrin was untouchable.
One of the most physical directors, Alex Timbers sprays action into the production that spills off the stage, into the audience and a small platform opposite the main space. Raised in the Bronx by a doting mother and sister, Darrin devours his “mother’s” dance and music routines.
His star begins to rise as does his love of Connie Francis, fabulously performed by Gracie Lawrence. Like many careers, the route is staggered between success and misses. The whole time his “mother” stays by his side, making certain he’s ok. A sickly child, Darrin never expected to live past his 20’s, so his ambition is compressed into a determination to be a success quickly. And that he manages.
The story-line trips lightly over his life-long love of Connie and his marriage to the talented Sandra Dee (Erika Henningsen). Then of course, there’s the dark family secret that upends his life. But the real story here is Groff’s performance. When he first appears, Groff announces he spits and sweats a lot thus apologizing to the people nearest him. That he does, but oh my, what a performer. The second he appears, Groff galvanizes the audience’s attention–one way only–on him. To say he’s charismatic belies the thrilling radiance he projects while he acts, sings and dances on a full out, 150% scale. Clearly in love with the theater and his adoring audiences, Groff’s singing captures Darrin’s vocal nuances and musical storytelling. Intuitively syncopated, his rhythms are seductive and his connection with the audience unbreakable.
Running from the stage through the people sitting at cafe tables, the set by Derek McLane anchors the show in a dinner theater environment. And yet, the production easily melts time, looking at Darrin’s early days and rolling forward through a relatively charmed career.
EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Celia Ipiotis
