Matthew Morrison Returns as Bobby Darin on Broadway

Matthew Morrison reprises Bobby Darin in 'Just in Time' from October 20 as Jeremy Jordan and Carrie St. Louis play their final performance October 18.

Three of the pack's theater outlets — New York Theatre Guide, Playbill, and TheaterMania — report the same development: Matthew Morrison will return to *Just in Time* on Broadway as Bobby Darin beginning October 20 for a limited three-week engagement at Circle in the Square Theatre. That means current star Jeremy Jordan will play his final performance on October 18, just two days before Morrison arrives. Carrie St. Louis will also give her final performance as Sandra Dee on October 18. Morrison first played Darin for a short run earlier this year — TheaterMania dates that previous stint to April, following the departure of original star Jonathan Groff — so his return makes him the third actor to step into the role in under a year.

What makes the news surprising for devoted Broadway watchers is the sheer speed of the revolving door. Playbill describes the engagement as a three-week limited run, meaning the Bobby Darin chair at Circle in the Square will have turned over three times within a single year.

The Sandra Dee casting has a conspicuous hole, and the outlets flag it. New York Theatre Guide and Playbill both report that Whitney Leavitt — of *Secret Lives of Mormon Wives* and *Chicago* — joins the company as Sandra Dee beginning December 1 through January 10. But Carrie St. Louis departs October 18, and Playbill reports interim casting between St. Louis's departure and Leavitt's arrival has not been revealed. TheaterMania likewise says no casting announcement has been made about who plays Sandra Dee in that gap. Ariana Madix, per New York Theatre Guide, continues as Connie Francis through November 22, while the current ensemble includes Debbie Gravitte as Polly, Emily Bergl as Nina/Mary, Joe Barbara as Steve Blauner, Lance Roberts as Ahmet Ertegun, and Caesar Samayoa as Don Kirchner.

The production's design pedigree helps explain why each casting change draws so much attention. Playbill reports the musical was developed by Alex Timbers based on an original concept by Ted Chapin, with a book by Tony winner Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver (*The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel*), choreography by Shannon Lewis, and music supervision and arrangements by Andrew Resnick. The design team, per Playbill, includes scenic designer Derek McLane, costume designer Catherine Zuber, lighting designer Justin Townsend, and sound designer Peter Hylenski — all Tony winners. Producers include Tom Kirdahy, Robert Ahrens, John Frost, and original star Jonathan Groff.

New York Theatre Guide describes *Just in Time* as a jukebox bio-musical set to Darin's hit songs — "Splish Splash," "Dream Lover," and "Mack the Knife" — performed in a semi-immersive nightclub setting at Circle in the Square under director Alex Timbers. TheaterMania characterizes the conceit as a fantasy nightclub act that lets Darin tell his own story, with those around him occasionally stepping in to correct the record. That format puts the lead actor onstage almost continuously, which is why the rapid lead changes matter to fans: the show's whole mechanism depends on the performer playing Darin, and Morrison is now being asked to relaunch it for a third time.

The calendar, corroborated across the pack, runs like this: Jeremy Jordan and Carrie St. Louis play their final performances October 18; Matthew Morrison begins October 20 for a three-week run; Whitney Leavitt joins as Sandra Dee on December 1 through January 10; and Ariana Madix remains as Connie Francis through November 22, according to New York Theatre Guide. The unresolved questions are the interim Sandra Dee casting and who plays Darin after Morrison's three weeks end — neither outlet in the pack names a successor. Morrison, a Tony and Emmy nominee known for six seasons of *Glee* and Broadway turns in *The Light in the Piazza*, *Hairspray*, *Footloose*, *South Pacific*, and *Finding Neverland*, is stepping back into a role he knows intimately, giving the production a known quantity at a moment of churn.