Yay! Bobby Darin is back at the Copacabana nightclub…embodied by charming Jonathan Groff in “Just in Time,” a splashy, swinging Broadway tribute that just opened at Manhattan’s Circle in the Square.

Based on Ted Chapin’s original concept with a book by Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver, this exuberant jukebox bio-musical is presented cabaret-style, delineating Darin’s all-too-short life, beginning with the childhood rheumatic fever that permanently damaged his heart valves, which prompted the family doctor to predict he wouldn’t live beyond his 16th birthday. 

Born in 1936 in Harlem as Walden Robert Cassotto, he was raised by his frustrated vaudevillian mother Polly (Michele Pawk).  One of Darin’s biggest hits – ‘Beyond the Sea” – was based on the French song “La Mer” that Polly sang to him. 

LOCAL NOTE: the English lyrics of “Beyond the Sea” were written by Jack Lawrence, who lived in Redding, CT for many years.

Darin’s – and Groff’s – versatility is astonishing. Determined to achieve success as soon as possible, he refused to waste a single second, changing his name and song-style to please various Tin Pan Alley/Rock ‘n’ Roll music publishers. 

Off-stage, Darin’s love-life was rougher, particularly his early adoration of Connie Francis (Gracie Lawrence), whose father refused to allow her to marry him. 

Years later, Darin did marry 19-year-old “Gidget” star Sandra Dee (Erika Henningsen), whom he met in Portofino, Italy, where they co-starred in the 1961 movie musical “Come September.”

Bobby expected Sandra to travel with him, putting her career on a back burner, attending his nightly Las Vegas shows and being ogled by the public. Sandra became the mother of his only son, Dodd Darin; they divorced in 1967. 

There’s only a brief allusion to Dee’s emotional anguish – having been raped by her stepfather when she was eight – and no mention of Darin’s brief second marriage in 1973 to Andrea Yaeger.

Directed by Alex Timbers, Jonathan Groff – last year’s Tony-winner for “Merrily We Roll Along” – breaks ‘the fourth wall,’ making an immediate, intimate audience connection and miraculously sustaining it for more than two hours, darting between two stages, dancing on cafe tabletops in-between, crooning hits like “Mack the Knife,” “Dream Lover,” “Splish Splash,” “18 Yellow Roses,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “Rainin’” and the titular “Just in Time.”

Too bad the second act, covering the final third of his life, loses steam, skimming over his political & folk music letdowns, eventual bankruptcy and death at age 37 in 1973.

Kudos to co-stars Emily Bergl, Cesar Samayoa, Lance Roberts and Joe Barbara, along with leggy back-up dancers Christine Cornish, Julia Grondin and Valeria Yasmin, cavorting on Derek McLane’s elaborate art deco set, complete with a bandstand to accommodate the lively 11-piece combo.

Booked indefinitely at Circle in the Square, ticket info on “Just in Time” is at justintimebroadway.com.

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, the concept of motherhood is changing. 

According to a recent Pew Research study, many young adults have decided not to have children – more so women than men. They cite many practical reasons – like the environment and high cost of living – but, above all, for women, it’s all about the sacrifices they must make.

So it’s incredibly timely how Amy Adams’ dark comedy “Nightbitch” captures both the happiness and horror of motherhood, along with the tedium of suburban domesticity. 

Known for her sculptures and installations, Mother (Adams) was once an accomplished artist. Then along came Son (twins Arleigh Patrick & Emmett James Snowden). Mother dutifully stays home to tend Son while Husband (Scoot McNairy) goes off to work at a job that often takes him out of town.

“Happiness is a choice,” she’s told. But when you’re sleep-deprived/exhausted by being ‘on-call’ 24/7 to a demanding toddler, something’s gotta give insofar as sanity is concerned. 

That’s when vulnerable Mother – fueled by anger at Husband – discovers that she’s growing feral, turning into a dog – a magnificent red husky – which doesn’t ultimately bode well for the family cat.

Based on Rachel Yoder’s bizarre 2021 novel, this feminist fable is adapted and directed by Marielle Heller (“Diary of a Teenage Girl,” “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”), who often punctuates Mother’s reactions with candid fantasy sequences – like in the grocery store when she rants at the former colleague who took her place at the art gallery or when she’s attending Book Babies sing-alongs at the library.

“I am deeply afraid that I am never going to be smart, or happy, or thin, ever again,” Mother confesses.

Bottom line: the plot examines what happens to a marriage when a modern couple slips into retro gender-defined roles. Inevitably, there’s a challenge and a showdown:  

“What happened to my curious, freewheeling wife?” bewildered Husband inquires; harried, haggard Mother replies, “She died in childbirth.”

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Nightbitch” is a perceptively bitter, sardonic, surreal 7 – streaming on Hulu or on Hulu via Disney+.  

Catch up with Susan Granger’s latest reviews here:

• April 24: “We Had a World” and “Snow White” 
• April 17: Broadway’s “Good Night, and Good Luck” and “1923” Season 2
• April 10: “White Lotus Season 3”
• April 8: “Theatre People”

Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in Journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has appeared on radio and television as an anchorwoman and movie critic for many years. Read all her reviews at susangranger.com.