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Jonathan Groff has endeared himself to huge audiences playing some of the most beloved (and different) roles in modern musical theater: breaking hearts as the original Melchior in Spring Awakening; cracking up as King George in Hamilton; and most recently turning in his most complex performance yet as Franklin Shepard in Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, for which he won his first Tony award.
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Now, Groff is adding to that diverse resume of roles with perhaps the most unexpected of all. In the new musical Just in Time, he’ll play Bobby Darin, the iconic crooner known for his renditions of songs like “Beyond the Sea,” “Dream Lover” and “Mack the Knife.” Developed and directed by Alex Timbers, the show features Groff anchoring a cast of 16 in one of Broadway‘s most unique and intimate theaters, the Circle in the Square. Previews begin March 28, 2025 in advance of an April 23 opening — but you can hear Groff singing as Darin for the first time here, as Billboard premieres his recordings of “Beyond the Sea,” “Dream Lover” and “Just in Time.”
As Groff tells Billboard, his preparation process for the role began seven years ago, when he was researching the singer while putting together a concert of his music for the 92nd St. Y in New York. “We’ve been developing this musical about his life ever since then,” Groff says. “Bobby Darin was the consummate performer. And he was way ahead of his time. He had this chameleon ability to jump styles and genres way before it became popular for pop artists to do that. Having this opportunity to play him, I get to push myself to places I’ve never gone before as a singer or performer. My heart races just thinking about it.”
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Timbers — who won a Tony for his direction of Moulin Rouge! The Musical and has brought his vision to shows ranging from Here Lies Love to The Pee-wee Herman Show — calls Darin “a singular talent whose music lives on today,” but notes that “what was so memorable to the people who knew him was his connection with an audience.” With Just in Time, “We’re doing everything we can to try to transform our Broadway theater to evoke a 1960s club,” he tells Billboard, “and allow our audience to experience what it was like to be in a room, up close, with one of that generation’s most electric performers.”
Just in Time features a book by Tony-winner Warren Leight (Side Man) and Isaac Oliver (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel); music supervision and arrangements by Andrew Resnick (Parade); choreography by Shannon Lewis; and is based on an original concept by Ted Chapin. Along with Groff, the cast includes Joe Barbara (A Bronx Tale The Musical), Tony-winner Michele Pawk (Wicked), Lance Roberts (The Music Man), Caesar Samayoa (Come From Away), Christine Cornish (Kiss Me, Kate), Julia Grondin (Funny Girl), Valeria Yamin (Moulin Rouge!), John Treacy Egan (My Fair Lady), Tari Kelly (Mr. Saturday Night), Matthew Guy Magnusson, Khori Michelle Petinaud (Lempicka), and Larkin Reilly (Bad Cinderella).
The Goo Goo Dolls apologized to fans on Tuesday (Dec. 3) after announcing that they’ve been forced to cancel a planned run of headlining shows in South Africa after singer John Rzeznik was hospitalized with pneumonia. “We’re heartbroken to postpone our South Africa shows. This country means so much to us, and we were so […]
Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” is leading the way for No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart midweek update (Dec. 2), following the release of its 2024 Ultimate Mix.
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Released to mark Band Aid’s 40th anniversary, the new version was produced by Trevor Horn [Spandau Ballet, Pet Shop Boys] and features vocalists from the 1984 original, 2004’s Band Aid 20, and 2014’s Band Aid 30. All three versions have topped the charts in the U.K., as did 1989’s Band Aid II.
Over the past few decades, the charity single has raised over £140 million ($178 million) for the Band Aid Charitable Trust, which seeks to benefit causes such as poverty in Africa. It was written by Bob Geldof and Ultravox’s Midge Ure following a BBC report into famine in Ethiopia, and has since become one of the U.K.’s best-selling singles of all-time.
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All three previous incarnations of the song contribute to the Ultimate Mix, which features a wealth of artists including George Michael, Sting, Chris Martin, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, One Direction, Bono and Sinead O’Connor, among others.
The push for the top spot follows the release of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” on physical formats this past Friday (Nov. 29), with proceeds benefitting the Band Aid Charitable Trust. The CD and vinyl variants also feature the original, 20th and 30th anniversary editions and 1985’s Live Aid version from Wembley Stadium.
The song and music video’s depiction of Africa, however, has drawn criticism over the years.
Following his decision to turn down featuring on the 2014 version of Band Aid, earlier today (Dec. 3), British-Ghanian Afrobeats artist Fuse ODG further clarified his stance via The Guardian. “While the British public’s generosity in 1984 was genuine, and the aim of Band Aid was to address a specific humanitarian crisis, the way it depicted Africa did more long-term harm than good,” he wrote. “It inadvertently contributed to a broader identity crisis for Africans, portraying the entire continent as one monolithic, war-torn, starving place.” Ed Sheeran previously said that Band Aid were using his vocals without permission and that he otherwise would have declined to be involved again.
Elsewhere, Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True” – which has remained at the summit for the past four weeks – stands at No.2, followed closely by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT” at No. 3. “Defying Gravity” by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the emotional centerpiece of the recent Wicked soundtrack, comes in at No. 6.
A festive theme continues throughout the Top 10, with three more Yuletide hits heading towards the top of the chart. Wham!’s “Last Christmas” is on track for its first Top 5 appearance of 2024 at No. 5, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” appears at No. 7, and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” is currently at No. 9.
Flavor Flav is providing a different perspective on how Chappell Roan has handled fans who don’t respect her boundaries. During an appearance on TMZ‘s Merry Elfin’ Christmas special looking back at 2024, the Public Enemy star addressed Roan’s headline-making statements about her interactions with fans. “Honestly, I do think it’s one of the biggest mistakes she can […]
MUNA fans, rejoice — your “Prayer” has been answered by Katie Gavin. On Monday (Dec. 2), Gavin appeared on SiriusXM’s The Coffee House, where the MUNA frontwoman delivered a pared-down, acoustic rendition of Madonna‘s hit single “Like a Prayer.” Putting her own spin on the beloved track, Gavin’s new rendition swaps out Madonna’s high-energy gospel […]
Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour continues to spread positivity. When the record-breaking trek made its way to Canada last month, the city of Toronto and Rogers Communications renamed Blue Jay Way — the street in front of the Rogers Centre that is usually home to its hometown Major League Baseball team — as Taylor Swift Way, […]
LISA is getting in the holiday spirit! The singer released a festive, “Santa Baby” remix of her latest single, “Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me),” on Monday (Dec. 2). In the holiday version of the track, the BLACKPINK star switches up the lyrics to fantasize about Santa Claus. “Kiss me, under the Christmas twilight/ Kiss me, out […]
Keira Knightley has a bizarre talent that even Cher can’t believe. Seven years after first showing off her ability to play songs on her teeth on The Graham Norton Show — on which she used her biters to perform “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” in 2018 — the actress returned to the show Nov. […]
Jack Harlow had an early Christmas gift for his hometown fans over the weekend when he teamed up with the Louisville Orchestra for a pair of “No Place Like Home 2024” shows at the city’s Whitney Hall. The fourth annual event — where attendees are asked to “dress to impress” — took place on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 29-30) and once again featured the Orchestra and conductor Teddy Abrams backing Harlow during a set of his classically-augmented classics.
Harlow added a bit of extra spice into the mix this year, though, when he busted out a velvety cover of Elvis Presley’s 1961 Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 weeper “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Fan video of the special moment found Harlow, dressed in a dark double-breasted suit with a light blue shirt and black tie, expertly crooning the song over the sweep of strings to whoops of delight from the audience.
Comments on the sold-out shows suggested that fans are ready for the rapper/actor’s pivot to crooner, including one poster who wrote, “he needs to release this,” as well as others who said, “countdown to the ‘i’m not just a rapper, i’m an artist’ interview,” “og fans know he can sing” and “Was so sweet for Jack to dedicate this song to his grandma in the balcony. The whole show was amazing, he should release orchestral versions of all of all his albums.”
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According to WLKY, that wasn’t the only singing detour Harlow took, as he also very capably covered Frank Sinatra’s beloved standard, “Fly Me to the Moon” on night two, which he dedicated to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday — and to his granny on Saturday, alongside hits from his catalog. The Courier-Journal noted that a couple got engaged during “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
Harlow dropped his first new single since 2023’s “Lovin on Me” last month, the samba-esque “Hello Miss Johnson,” which he performed live for the first time at the shows. The song’s release was accompanied by a video that plays out on CCTV, where Harlow flirts with Miss Johnson’s daughter. The track is the second single from the rapper’s as-yet-untitled, unscheduled fourth album, Jackman, which was released in April 2023.
During a show at New York’s Brooklyn Paramount in September Harlow teased his next musical era, telling the audience, “I do got some very special s–t on the way… Next time I see you, we gonna have something to talk about.”
Camila Cabello knows C,XOXO wasn’t her most universally beloved album, but she’s choosing to take her cues from where it counts: namely, personal heroes Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
In a new Nylon cover story published Monday (Dec. 2), the 27-year-old “I Luv It” singer opened up about how the Eras Tour headliner and “Break My Soul” singer’s validation of her work sustained her when she felt like most people “misunderstood” her latest LP. “Oh, f–k, now I’m going to sound name-drop-y,” she told the publication. “But Beyoncé told me she loved my album, OK? That’s the gold star.”
“And I walked away fully, like, tears brimming in my eyes,” Cabello continued. “She’s somebody I’ve watched from my childhood. Her and Taylor saying nice things about the album really meant a lot to me. Anytime an artist that I respect has said something to me like, ‘Hey, I really love what you’re doing,’ it recharges my battery. A lot of the time I felt so misunderstood.”
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The Cinderella star went on to say that people were “questioning [her] authenticity” throughout the C,XOXO rollout, something she thinks could be “because I’ve always been such a good girl.” “Being in the industry made me build that harder shell and harder exterior,” she added. “Like Rihanna, Beyoncé, Taylor — this kind of bravado happens in their later work. It’s building an armor. My previous albums were more clean-cut.”
Cabello’s fourth studio solo album dropped in June, debuting at No. 13 on the Billboard 200. From the beginning of its rollout, some critics tore into the vocalist’s exploration of other genres on the record — particularly C,XOXO‘s hyper-pop sensibilities, which some people wrote off as Charli XCX copycatting.
Of the comparisons to the “Von Dutch” musician, Cabello said, “People ran with this thing before the album was even out.”
“[Charli’s] one of my favorite artists, you know?” she continued. “[But] I can tell that people saying this weren’t even listening to the music. They didn’t do the reading. They didn’t do the listening.”
The “Havana” artist also gave an update on where she stands with former Fifth Harmony bandmate Normani, with whom she reunited at Paris Fashion Week in September to fans’ absolute delight. “With space, we can go back and tap into that,” Cabello said. “The past couple of times I’ve seen her, I say something and she laughs really hard. It doesn’t feel like we’re strangers. We’re getting back to the times when we [were] really close.”
See Cabello on the cover of Nylon and photos from the shoot below.