Original Broadway Cast, 2025 (Atlantic Records) (5 / 5) One sign of a true star is that the performer in question can triumph in a role in which they’re arguably miscast. A famous example of this is Audrey Hepburn in the film Breakfast of Tiffany’s — and another, far more recent example is Jonathan Groff in Just in Time, a bio-musical inspired by the life and career of the late, great pop singer Bobby Darin. When this project was announced, Groff was already beloved by audiences for his stage performances in such shows as Spring Awakening, Hamilton, and Merrily We Roll Along, not to mention his work on television (Glee, Looking, Mindhunter) and in movies (Frozen, Frozen II, etc.). Still, his casting as Darin was met with some raised eyebrows, even among his greatest fans, in that Groff bears very little if any resemblance to Darin in terms of physical appearance, voice quality, or style of singing. Another oddity of the project as announced was the fact that, although Darin did record the Jule Styne-Betty Comden-Adolph Green song “Just in Time” (from the score of the musical Bells Are Ringing), that number is far more closely associated with Tony Bennett and is by no means among the most famous in Darin’s performance history or discography, a group of tunes that would rather include such items as “Splish-Splash,” “Mack the Knife,” “Beyond the Sea,” ” “Dream Lover,” “Lazy River,” and “Artificial Flowers.” The first issue was cannily met head-on in the book of the musical by the bold decision to have Groff introduce himself by his own name upon his first entrance and declare that he would be playing the role of Bobby Darin, rather than attempting to impersonate or embody that iconic figure. And as for the seeming strangeness of the show’s title, no one in the audience, including the critics, seemed to care in light of Groff’s thoroughly charming, bravura performance and the production’s many other delights — perhaps chief among them the fabulous musical arrangements and orchestrations of Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber (drum arrangements by Jared Schonig), played for all their worth by a roof-raising big band. Some of the supporting cast members have their moments to shine on the cast album, most notably Gracie Lawrence as Connie Francis; but this is Groff’s show, and as recorded here, his alternately smooth-as-silk and truly exciting renditions of the classic songs listed above (and others) will make it easy for listeners to understand why he received a Tony Award nomination for this stunning star turn. — Michael Portantiere