Jonathan Groff. Photo Credit: Andrew Walker, Shutterstock.
Tony winner Jonathan Groff chatted about starring in “Just in Time” on Broadway, where he plays Bobby Darin.
Helen Keller once said: “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart.” This quote applies to the dancing of Jonathan Groff in “Just in Time,” which was choreographed by Shannon Lewis.
Groff opened up about working with “Just in Time” choreographer Shannon Lewis, and he recalled working with Maria Friedman, his “Merrily We Roll Along” director.
Groff on the 2025 Chita Rivera Award nominations
Groff was just nominated for a 2025 Chita Rivera Award for “Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show” and for “Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show” as part of the “Just in Time” ensemble.
For her work in “Just in Time,” Lewis is nominated for the Chita River Award for “Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show.”
Working with choreographer Shannon Lewis
On his 2025 Chita Rivera Award nominations, Groff remarked, “It felt incredible. I am such a huge fan of dance in Broadway musicals, specifically. I am such a huge fan of Shannon Lewis; she is a dream and a prolific Broadway dancer.”
“Shockingly, ‘Just in Time’ is Shannon’s choreographic Broadway debut, and she has gone above and beyond with this production. Every piece of every bit of movement has great meaning and storytelling behind it,” Groff acknowledged.
“We also met three times a week, every week, for 10 weeks before our first day of rehearsals,” Groff noted.
“Shannon was eager to get me ready, and we started creating in the room together. So, to be celebrating these Chita Rivera Award nominations is really exciting for both of us,” Groff elaborated.
Working with Maria Friedman in ‘Merrily We Roll Along’
Groff also complimented Tony-nominated director Maria Friedman, who directed him in “Merrily We Roll Along.”
“I have already been plotting the Shannon Lewis and Maria Friedman future collaboration,” he revealed. “I already connected them, and I know that Shannon Lewis would be so honored. They are two creative geniuses that believe in process.”
Groff reveals the similar qualities that Shannon Lewis and Maria Friedman both have
Groff remarked, “Shannon and Maria share the ability to embrace individuality and to find that happy place between what’s the story that we want to tell and what are you as the performer able to offer me, and what are your strengths and what are your weaknesses and how can the choreographer bring my own movement vocabulary while telling the story at hand and making the performers look as good as they possibly can by serving their specific needs.”
“This is a trait that both Maria and Shannon have,” he added.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Groff revealed, “I went and put my dancing shoes on.”
“That’s a lyric from Bobby Darin’s ‘Splish Splash’,” he admitted.
‘A Nice Indian Boy’
“A Nice Indian Boy” stars Jonathan Groff, Karan Soni, Zarna Garg, and Sunita Mani.
The synopsis is: When Naveen (Karan Soni), a soft-spoken doctor, finally brings his charming white-artist boyfriend Jay (Jonathan Groff) home to meet his traditional Indian family, misunderstandings and emotional revelations put everyone on edge.
Despite facing uncomfortable truths about their own ideas of love and marriage, the family attempts to plan the big Indian wedding of Naveen and Jay’s dreams.
Groff recalled doing the movie “A Nice Indian Boy.” “Doing this film was incredible,” Groff exclaimed. “The lead actor [Karan Soniand] the director [Roshan Sethi] are boyfriends in real life, and the love in that movie is from them.”
Success
On his definition of the word success, Groff said, “I am trying to see success as a piece on the tableau of life.”
“Try not to value success more than failure because they are both equally impactful and they both provide opportunities for growth,” Groff concluded.
To learn more about “Just in Time,” check out its official homepage.
Read More: “Just in Time” review
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