Before David Bowie, Madonna and Beyoncé made the idea of being a pop star synonymous with constant reinvention, there was Bobby Darin.
He “could look like anyone and sing any style,” wrote Bob Dylan about the singer in her 2022 book, “The Philosophy of Modern Song”. Not only was Darin “more flexible than anyone of his time”, noted Dylan, but “even at rest, he just vibrated with talent”.
Neil Young, another rocker known for his musical change, expressed similar admiration. “I was upset to Bobby Darin because he changed styles so much,” he told Rolling Stone. “Now I look at him and I think he was a (explanative) genius.”
It is this versatility, alongside his complicated life, that the new Broadway show “Just in Time”, in Preview of Circle in the Square Theater, aims to explore through swinging successes of Darin.
Developed and directed by Alex Timbers (a winner of Tony for “Moulin Rouge!”) And with Jonathan Groff (a winner of Tony last year for “Merrily We Roll Ond”), “Just in Time” takes place in a nightclub, with a group on stage. Although Darin can remember its magnetic performance, its history requires something more than a bio-musical of conventional juke-box.
