Fresh off his first Tony Award win, Groff is already making a grab for his second.
Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Surprise is the last thing you’d expect fromJust In Time.
And we’re off to the races.
Christine Cornish, Jonathan Groff and Julia Grondin in ‘Just in Time’.Credit:Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Like the star he portrays, Groff knows the importance of momentum.
There’s no time to waste.
But Groff is up to the challenge.
Jonathan Groff in ‘Just in Time’.Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
He’s irresistible in the role, proving why he belongs centerstage.
He makes the dance breaks look effortless, oozes charm, and soars through the vocals.
More impressively, there’s an intimacy to the space he creates under Alex Timbers' direction.
His sincerity doesn’t clash with Darin’s suave persona, but elevates it.
Bobby is frank in his own way he wears his determination to succeed on his sleeve.
He’s winning, winking, and leaving everyone to swoon in his wake.
More than once, the theater vanishes, leaving only a singer and a rapt crowd.
The number is bisected by emotional devastation and in that second half, Lawrence dazzles.
Her raw vocal talent and the cracks owed to weighty emotion are breathtaking.
Jonathan Groff in ‘Just in Time’.Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Across the room, Groff’s Darin takes it all in, devastated in his own spotlight.
Everything disappears but the two of them.
In moments like that, it’s clear: seeingJust In Timejust once won’t be enough.
Valeria Yamin, Michele Pawk & Julia Grondin in ‘Just in Time.Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
The second half ofJust In Timespeeds by, a destabilizing whirlwind.
The emotional gut punches occur and Groff, ever the expressive performer, makes sure that they hit.
And then they’re over and it’s time for the next thing.
Gracie Lawrence and Jonathan Groff in ‘Just in Time’.Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
The end of Bobby’s story is especially abrupt art imitating life.
But in that too, we are grounded by our star.
He’s right, that is the nature of all things, after all.
Jonathan Groff in ‘Just in Time’.Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
