Jonathan Groff Will Play Himself at the Top of Just in Time Before Transforming Into Bobby Darin

Good news for Jonathan Groff fans who have secured their tickets to see the Tony-winning actor croon as Golden Age dreamboat Bobby Darin: You'll also get to see him as... Jonathan Groff.

At a recent press event for the Broadway biomusical Just in Time, Groff told Broadway.com that the show will have a framing device that "honors the spirit of Bobby Darin" and the bond he built with his audiences. Inside Circle in the Square Theatre, which will be transformed into a '50s nightclub via the vision of director Alex Timbers and set designer Derek McLane, "I am gonna start the show as myself to build a connective thread between me and the audience, which was apparently Bobby’s magic," Groff said. "And then collectively, we’re gonna go back in time and experience the story of Bobby Darin’s life together."

He's no stranger to direct address, having played Hamilton's quasi-third wall-breaking King George III. But interacting with audiences as himself, and without the distance of a proscenium, will add another layer of intimacy to a show that promsies an "immersive" experience. "I think Bobby Darin’s best relationship he ever had was the relationship between him and the audience—honestly, same," he added with a self-mocking "LOL." "And so it makes sense that the show would be an immersive audience experience because that was his most passionate and successful relationship of his life."

In addition to Groff, the cast of Just in Time features Erika Henningsen, Gracie Lawrence, Emily Bergl, Joe Barbara, Michele Pawk, Lance Roberts, Caesar Samayoa, Christine Cornish, Julia Grondin, Valeria Yamin, John Treacy Egan, Tari Kelly, Matt Magnusson, Khori Michelle Petinaud and Larkin Reilly. The musical has a book by Tony Award winner Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver based on an original concept by Ted Chapin, music supervision and arrangements by Andrew Resnick and choreography by Shannon Lewis.

Performances begin at Circle in the Square Theatre March 28, with an official opening set for April 23.