It is a situation devoutly to be wished – to be saturated with artistic excellence everywhere you look for over two hours. “Just In Time” – recently opened at Circle In The Square will do that to you. From the moment you enter the theatre, you are surrounded by glowing blue lighting, drapes, and a cocktail table scattered across the orchestra section. This is Bobby Darin’s world, and welcome to it. Your host for the show is the thrilling Jonathan Groff, who makes no bones about NOT being Bobby Darin. He is there to tell the story. Well, SING the story might be more accurate.This is your standard come-from-nowhere and turn into a legend setup. Like “A Beautiful Noise” (Neil Diamond) and “Beautiful” (Carole King). It is written, however, in a way that pulls us in. The audience is included in the telling of the tale.Jonathan Groff; Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan ZimmermanGroff announces a few pit stops for the journey: New York, Las Vegas, Hollywood, and even Portofino. The journey is not easy. Starting at 2nd Avenue and 125th Street, where Walden Robert Perciville Cassotto was born. He was a sick child, suffering from rheumatic fever more than once, which damaged his heart. He overheard the doctor tell his mother it would be a miracle if the kid lived past 16. A sense of urgency was planted. He bummed around the music world in midtown New York, always looking for more. Falling in love with Connie Francis (Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero) threw him into romance, music, and a new name. Slowly, the doors creaked open, but not with anything that made him proud. Even his first gold record, “Splish Splash,” was not the acknowledgment he was looking for.Darin does become the star he was looking for. It is still not enough. The outcome is dreary. His life is a short one. Wisely, however, the creative team of Read the full article
