Tony Nominees Jonathan Groff and Gracie Lawrence on 'Just in Time'

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – Episode Featuring Jonathan Groff and Gracie Lawrence on 'Just in Time'

Release Date: May 29, 2025

Introduction

In this engaging episode of All Of It, host Alison Stewart delves deep into the world of Broadway with Tony-nominated actors Jonathan Groff and Gracie Lawrence. The discussion centers around their critically acclaimed musical, Just in Time, which celebrates the life and legacy of the legendary Bobby Darin. The episode offers listeners an intimate look into the creative process, character portrayals, and the profound impact the show has on both performers and audiences.

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Overview of Just in Time

Jonathan Groff begins by distinguishing his portrayal of Bobby Darin from traditional impressions. Instead of mimicking Darin's voice, Groff focuses on embodying his spirit and energy. “[00:46] This is all of it. You two are going to be trouble,” Alison Stewart humorously remarks, setting a lively tone for the conversation.

Groff explains the show's unique structure, which blends past and present to honor Darin’s multifaceted career. “[02:33] Jonathan Groff: ...create that invisible thread between performer and audience member. And then I snap my fingers and become him. And we all kind of go on the ride together.”

Character Portrayals: Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin and Gracie Lawrence as Connie Francis

Gracie Lawrence discusses her role as Connie Francis, highlighting the challenge of portraying a star with such a polished public persona. “[11:23] Gracie Lawrence: ...trying to see who she was behind the scenes when she wasn't performing was a really exciting challenge.”

Jonathan Groff elaborates on his approach to playing Darin, emphasizing the importance of capturing his versatility and passion. “[04:31] Jonathan Groff: ...Bobby Darin was at the height of his powers when he was at the center of the floor of a nightclub.”

Creative Process and Performance Techniques

The duo shares insights into their rehearsal process and the intentional decisions made to maintain authenticity. Gracie notes how observing Lawrence's natural performance style influenced her own portrayal. “[13:55] Gracie Lawrence: ...find little moments or mannerisms... and take those and make sure I'm doing those things in the show.”

Jonathan adds, “[16:00] Jonathan Groff: ...trying to celebrate his rhythm and his phrasing in the songs and celebrate his musicality... as opposed to doing a carbon copy of an imitation.”

Audience Engagement and Impact

Both actors discuss the profound connection they feel with the audience, describing it as a communal and almost spiritual experience. Jonathan shares memorable interactions, such as dancing with an older woman and an 8-year-old girl, illustrating the show's broad appeal. “[20:06] Jonathan Groff: ...we have a very profound gift to be able to deliver that to them.”

Gracie reflects on the intimate nature of Broadway theaters and how it enhances the performance experience. “[07:54] Gracie Lawrence: ...how intimate a 750 capacity theater can feel and what that does to a room and how to interact with it.”

Announcing Tony Awards Participation

In an exciting turn, Jonathan and Gracie reveal their participation in the upcoming Tony Awards. “[27:10] Jonathan Groff: Okay, yeah, screw it. I'm in it for a second. For a hot second I'm in it.”

Gracie expresses her enthusiasm about being part of the Tony community and the honor it represents. “[27:25] Gracie Lawrence: ...I am going to be in that room. I've said this a million times. I was like, I just wanted to be someone's plus one.”

Reflections on Broadway's Resurgence

The conversation shifts to the resurgence of Broadway post-COVID, with Jonathan attributing it to the timeless magic of live performance. “[28:49] Jonathan Groff: ...this very primal, special thing that happens... it's a very basic human need for storytelling... it's such a profoundly communal experience.”

He highlights how live theater offers a sanctuary from the digital distractions of everyday life, fostering genuine human connections. “[28:47] Jonathan Groff: ...the lights go down, and it's... we all go somewhere together.”

Closing Remarks

As the episode wraps up, Jonathan and Gracie share heartfelt reflections on their experiences and the enduring legacy of Bobby Darin. Gracie recounts a touching moment with Edith Serfati, Edith Serfati being Lea Michele's mother, who praised Gracie’s portrayal of Connie Francis. “[23:53] Jonathan Groff: ...she met Gracie. And she was in tears. And she was like, you did it. You did her justice.”

Alison Stewart thanks her guests, highlighting the profound insights shared about culture, performance, and community.

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Notable Quotes

• Jonathan Groff on Portraying Bobby Darin:
  “[04:31] Jonathan Groff: ...create that invisible thread between performer and audience member.”

• Gracie Lawrence on Intimate Performances:
  “[07:54] Gracie Lawrence: ...how intimate a 750 capacity theater can feel.”

• Jonathan Groff on Broadway's Magic:
  “[28:49] Jonathan Groff: ...a very basic human need for storytelling.”

• Gracie Lawrence on Audience Connection:
  “[22:04] Jonathan Groff: ...Connie Francis is our Italian goddess.”

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Conclusion

This episode of All Of It masterfully captures the essence of Just in Time through the passionate narratives of Jonathan Groff and Gracie Lawrence. Their dedication to honoring Bobby Darin's legacy while creating a timeless theatrical experience offers listeners a rich tapestry of culture, performance, and human connection. Whether you're a Broadway enthusiast or someone curious about the intricate process behind musical theater, this episode provides a comprehensive and heartfelt exploration of what makes Just in Time a standout production.

Transcript

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it. You two are going to be trouble. This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC studios in Soho. Thank you for sharing part of your day with us. I'm really grateful you are here on today's show. We have a music theme going through today's show. The band ok Go. Will join us in studio to perform live. We'll learn about a documentary.

[Audience Member]

Ooh.

[Alison Stewart]

We'll learn about a documentary about promoter Ron Delsner. Interesting. Ron Delsner presents. Yep. And we'll celebrate the 25th anniversary of Amy Mann's album Bachelor Number Two for the latest installment of our series, Silver liner notes. That's our plan. So let's get this started with some Bobby Darin. The new musical Just in Time begins with Jonathan Groff on stage. And I don't mean Jonathan Groff as crooner Bobby Darin, the subject of the musical. I mean Jonathan. Jonathan. And he's there to let us know that he is a Bobby Darin super fan. He's there to tell us the story of a powerhouse performer, Bobby Darin, a crooner, a an award winner, a man who lived in the present because he had an illness that could take his life. Jonathan goes back and forth between being our narrator and being Bobby Darin with all the charm and the talent. Jonathan's co star, Gracie Lawrence steps into the shoes of Connie Francis. Connie is a star in her own right and once was Bobby's creative and romantic partner. Now, if Gracie's name sounds familiar to listeners, it's because you've heard her on our air before, performing with her band, Lawrence. Both Jonathan and Gracie are Tony nominated for their performances in Just in Time, which follows Bobby's rise to fame, his family drama and his untimely death at age 37. Just in time is running now at Circle in the square through July 27th. Joining me now, you've heard him already, It's Jonathan Groff. Hi, Jonathan.

[Jonathan Groff]

How's it going?

[Alison Stewart]

It's going forward. Hi, Gracie. How are you?

[Gracie Lawrence]

I'm good. I'm so happy to be here.

[Alison Stewart]

I'm so happy to have you back. Welcome back.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Thank you.

[Alison Stewart]

You start the show as Jonathan Groff. You come in you address us as the audience.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes.

[Alison Stewart]

How did that creative decision come about this?

[Jonathan Groff]

This? So we started developing this show almost eight years ago now. And in my research and books that I read about Bobby and interviews and things, everybody said, you know, he was this Grammy Award winning recording star, he was this Oscar nominated actor, he's a prolific songwriter and producer. But by all accounts he was at the height of his powers when he was at the center of, of the floor of a nightclub. And people would say, like Sammy Davis Jr. Famously said, the only person I won't follow is Bobby Darin. So when we were thinking about creating this show, Alex Timbers, our incredible director, great, amazing, and a pro, especially at Transforming Spaces. So we wanted to create the environment of a nightclub, which we have at Circle in the Square. There's cabaret, seating at tables. We walk through the audience. Gracie and I do a scene sitting at a table with audience members. And so we wanted to recreate the nightclub in honor of the spirit of who he was. And then I asked years ago at the start of the development of the writing of the project, if I could start the show as myself so that there would not even be the kind of artifice of character between performer and audience that felt like spiritually the best way to honor who he was and what he did to a room. So I, I begin the show as myself in the first few minutes to create that invisible thread between performer and audience member. And then I snap my fingers and become him. And we all kind of go on the ride together. So when the audience members are sitting in the cabaret tables, they're not playing extras at the Copacabana in 1958. We honor the present moment. Here we are right now in 2025, and let's all go back in time together and experience, experience the story of his life.

[Alison Stewart]

Gracie, why did you want to try musical theater?

[Gracie Lawrence]

Oh my gosh, it wasn't even a thought, like such a conscious decision of like, oh, I want to try musical theater. It was. I had done so much musical theater as a kid in school and I had done a lot of acting. I had been on Broadway as a 12 year old in a play and I obviously have a band. Lawrence and had, have done music my whole life. So it kind of just seemed like a very obvious marriage of a lot of my interests. I also want to point out that your radio voice is so sultry, Jonathan. Like, you're, like you're talking in this.

[Alison Stewart]

Like, hey, hey, he's got his NPR voice.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Bobby Darren. It's like the nightclub experience it's gorgeous. Anyway, just a thought.

[Jonathan Groff]

I like knowing new ways to make you excited.

[Gracie Lawrence]

It was. It was thrilling listening to you talking. But, yeah, it was just very organic. And I knew Alex Timbers and he reached out to me with this opportunity, which is so unusual. I've usually had to, like, beg for every job I've ever had. And so it was just, it seemed, it was such an obvious yes, Jonathan.

[Alison Stewart]

When you come on stage, this popped into my head. I thought, theater kid, in all the best sense of the word, right? You're a theater kid. What does that mean to you to be a theater kid?

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, my gosh. Well, this is one of the things that I really connected about with Bobby Darin is when I. When I started researching him as we were developing the show and I looked at clips of him on YouTube. This is a primal performer. This is not a person. This is not a guy that is just singing songs. This is a guy that is living through his songs. And I. I watch all the time, like old clips of Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland and in modern time, watching a lot of videos of Beyonce. These, these mostly female performer. Gracie Lawrence is an incredible. I'm not even saying that to make you. Lol. Gracie. Gracie Lawrence is a primal, like, once in a generation, talent performer. And I watch clips of these people like Gracie, like Beyonce, like Judy, like Barbara. Oftentimes it's female performers that I'm drawn to as a homosexual. And when I'm watching clips of Bobby Darin, here's one of the few male performers that is giving me that. And he had this heart condition when he was 8 years old. He was told he was gonna die by the time he was 16. Later, he died at 37, like you mentioned. And he performed because he had this need. And I think that theater kid energy that you're talking about is like when people. And I really relate to this. And this is what you saw, I think is like, I have to be out there when we do the show at night. It's like being on drugs for me. I say at the end of the show, I bookend. I start as myself and then I'm Bobby Darin for the show. And then I end as myself in the very final moment of the show. And I say doing this, meaning standing here, connecting with the audience is when he felt the most alive. Honestly, same. I say it about myself and I feel that it's electric being out there.

[Alison Stewart]

Gracie, what is something that you didn't know about being in a musical that you now know that you didn't really understand until you lived through it, kind.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Of everything, I guess. And I said this to Jonathan earlier, like, I just did this small cabaret show the other night and it was really intimate. And at this point my band is playing in venues that are, you know, bigger than the cabaret show that I did and bigger than the theater that we perform in every night. I think something that didn't really occur to me because as a kid when I thought about Broadway, I thought that's. I'm sure those, those are the biggest theaters there are because it feels so massive. I think something I'm discovering while I'm doing it is actually how intimate of an experience Broadway is. And specifically our theater is a fairly small Broadway theater. And it's. We've been lucky enough to have it be so packed with people every night who are kind of like. I don't know if foaming at the mouth is the right term, but so excited to be there. And you can feel like you can feel everyone breathing together. And so I think something that I'm discovering is how intimate a 750 capacity theater can feel and what that does to a room and how to interact with it. And that's been surprising to me.

[Alison Stewart]

My guests are Tony nominated actors Jonathan Groff and Gracie Lawrence. We are talking about their musical Just in Time, which is appearing at Circle in the Square. You said you watched Bobby Darin on YouTube, probably read books. What was his relationship like with his mother? Wink, wink. Because that seemed to be such a strong relationship.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, I mean, turn off the radio right now or put it on mute. Don't turn it off. But this is a little spoiler alert about the story of his life. But it is his life and we talk about it in the show. And he grew up thinking that his mother was his mother and his sister was his sister.

[Alison Stewart]

And you know where that goes.

[Gracie Lawrence]

We'll say that.

[Jonathan Groff]

And you know where that. Yeah, okay. We'll just leave it at that.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

Okay. So, yeah, there's a big family secret that was revealed to him in his early 30s and he had a big mental breakdown, was never the same after that. So the woman that he believed to be his mother when he was a kid was a huge influence on his life because he was. He was born frail. He had rheumatic fever three times by the time he was eight. He was born with a weak heart and the doctor said he wouldn't live to be 16. So he's growing, growing up. His crib was a drawer in like a dresser. This is how poor they were growing up in East Harlem. And he. Because of his frailty, he was unable to play with kids on the street. He was unable to do sports. And so he spent a lot of the time in the four walls of his tiny apartment with Polly Walden, who he thought was his mother. And she played him Al Jolson records, and she was a. She was a vaudeville star back in the day, and so played him Al Jolson records. She taught him how to sing, she taught him how to dance. And so this classic sort of American songbook music, they got him a drum set, ended up becoming not only his life's work and his life's passion, but it's what saved him as a child. It's what. It's what gave him. It's what gave him life, I think, all the way until his final breath when he was 37. And that was first given to him by Polly Walden.

[Alison Stewart]

What research did you do into Connie Francis?

[Gracie Lawrence]

A lot. I also watched a lot of interviews and a lot of videos of her singing, because I wanted to kind of take some inspiration from her vocals, but not do an impression. I read her book, who's Sorry Now? We also had access to this amazing documentary. So there's a lot. I mean, and I think what's been interesting about it is that especially for women in that time period, kind of at the height of her career in, like, the late 50s, you're seeing when they're performing, it's hard to tell exactly who they really are, because I think that. I mean, that's still obviously a thing as a woman and as a performer, like, how much of yourself are you revealing when you're performing? But I felt it, especially with Connie, because her performances are very manicured, and that was the style of that time. Her arms would move in very specific ways. She wasn't as expressive or wild in the way that Bobby got to be, but she still was a very emotive singer. So trying to figure out who she was behind the scenes when she wasn't performing was a really exciting challenge. And I think a lot of it actually comes from interviews of her later in her life when she's older and she's able to reflect and be honest about the person who she was when she was, you know, 19, which is the age that we're depicting in the show. So it's kind of been like a puzzle piece sort of game to put together who she was.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, let's listen to you singing from just in time. This is when you bring down the house. This is My first real love Just.

[Jonathan Groff]

A teenager but it's left I strong and now I know that there was nothing wrong with my first real and now I know that there was nothing.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Wrong with my first real love My God.

[Jonathan Groff]

So good. Who is that girl?

[Gracie Lawrence]

I even heard that.

[Jonathan Groff]

Exciting.

[Alison Stewart]

This is a good question for both of you. How did you approach singing and performing and feeling without doing an impression? Who wants to go first?

[Gracie Lawrence]

Well, I really took my cues from you because I remember we had did a workshop last summer, and the first question I had when I walked in was like, you know, I didn't really know what the spirit of the show was yet. Obviously, like, you know, so much of it was on the page, but it could have been taken a few different directions. And I think the first question I asked you was like, are you doing an impression? And I don't want to speak for you, but the answer was kind of no. I'm trying to evoke the spirit of Bobby Darin. It's why you're also starting the show as yourself, to create that connection. And so I really started with just copying Jonathan and deciding that if that's what he was doing, it wouldn't be make sense for me to be doing an impression. It would feel very tonally confusing in the show. So I think what I'm trying to do is find little moments or mannerisms or, you know, vocal, like. Yeah, little. Little tidbits of her vocals that feel organic to me and actually are the connection between us. And take those and make sure I'm doing those things in the show. And then the rest of it is. Is really playing a version of myself as well. I think everyone in the show is kind of doing that.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, Gracie. When Gracie joined the workshop last summer, it was like, such a solution to what we always wanted the tone to be of the show. I'm serious, because we talked from the very beginning about wanting in our show to have one foot in the past and one foot in the present. We wanted to honor what came before us and honor the history of that time and the music, but we also wanted it to feel present because Bobby Darin's magic was the present moment. This is why telling the story of his life in the context of a theater piece feels so spiritually correct with who he was, because his soul vibrated at the highest vibration in the arena of live performance. And so in addition to that, you listen to Splish, Flash and Mac the Knife and Dream Lover and if I Were A Carpenter all next to each other, and it sounds like four different people because he was such a chameleon as an artist. So this years ago when we were developing, it opened up an opportunity for me because I felt like, oh, I don't have to do a Bobby Darin impression vocally because he sounds so incredibly different in all these different styles. This is also why it's such a joy to honor him with this musical is. I think not everybody knows that that is all the same artist because he was really ahead of his time. This is before Cowboy Carter. This is before pop stars were known for jumping genres. He was doing that in the late 50s. So he was really ahead of his time in a lot of ways. I think Bob Dylan is quoted to saying, I thought Bobby Darin was crazy doing all these different things. I found him really frustrating. And then I realized he was a genius. I'm paraphrasing this quote, but it's really exciting to be able to reflect and look back and celebrate the artistry of this person. Then he was also. He started as a drummer and so he. I'm imitating or trying to evoke what he did physically. Trying to tell the beats of his story. And then I've listened to him so many times. I'm trying to, like, celebrate his rhythm and his phrasing in the songs and celebrate his musicality and even taking songs like La Mer and turning it into his version of beyond the Sea or taking this song, Mack the Knife, that he made this incredible, like earth shattering arrangement of. We're trying to honor his handprint that he had on his interpretations of songs as opposed to doing a carbon copy of an imitation.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Can I ask you a question?

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Gracie Lawrence]

I feel like, you know, in years to come, whenever. Whenever we're sadly no longer doing this show.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Gracie Lawrence]

I feel like there are things in Connie Francis voice that I will just like, are now in my bones. Like there's certain phrasing that she has of falls or cries and like all that kind of stuff that I didn't really do before the show. Do you have, like, Bobby Darin isms that you feel like you're gonna sing that way for years to come?

[Jonathan Groff]

A thousand times. Yeah. I like, I'm still. I'm still watching clips of him.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

I'm still like. And because he really like the. And Connie Francis as well. These were geniuses.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Totally.

[Jonathan Groff]

These are like genius. The well is endless. And. And because of YouTube now. And you can look. I like, I'm still pulling stuff from him now and putting it into each other. Exactly.

[Gracie Lawrence]

This is so you.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Even the Way he moved and the way he expressed himself and just. Yeah. I'm eternally inspired by him.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's listen to Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darrell singing Beyond the Sea from just in time.

[Jonathan Groff]

I know beyond a doubt My heart will lead me there soon we'll meet I know we'll meet beyond the sh. Just as before Happy we'll be beyond the sea Never again I'll go sailing no more sailing no more sailing no more sailing and the band keeps wailing no more sailing Bye bye sailing.

[Alison Stewart]

And the crowd go. The crowd is kind of wild at this show. I saw this woman, you danced with her. I thought she was gonna put you in her pocketbook and take me home.

[Jonathan Groff]

She did.

[Alison Stewart]

It was a wild.

[Jonathan Groff]

This is me coming live from her pocketbook.

[Alison Stewart]

It was wild. She was an older woman. She winked at you. She carried on. It was something.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's been spiritual. I have to say. I've never done. I've never had the experience, the gift of being able to do a show in the audience. I mean, we are literally in the audience walking around them another way. We're trying to evoke the memory and honor who Bobby Dern was. He would kiss people on the cheek, he would dance with them, he would spin them around, he would improvise with them. And we're doing all of this as well in honor of him. But what's really sweet and really gets me is like we've got 80 year olds in the audience that are tears. They're smiling and the tears are rolling down their face because it's bringing them back. It's bringing them back. And it's, it's such a profound gift to be able to deliver that to them. And on the flip side, last week I danced with an 8 year old girl in the, in the front row in the audience. And it's like 8 to 80. This music still slaps. And, and to be able to experience that elation with the crowd is, it's, it's, it's unlike anything I've ever experienced before.

[Alison Stewart]

It's funny. I wrote myself a note because when I was there, there was a kid holding a sign that said, hi, Dad. I was like, jonathan's a father. They kept that quiet. But then I realized it was your song.

[Gracie Lawrence]

We have something to announce.

[Alison Stewart]

Yes.

[Gracie Lawrence]

That's why we came on here. All of it.

[Jonathan Groff]

All of was. Max was so cute. Yes. Who played one of the Frank Jr. S in merrily We Roll along. And he had a sign that said, hi, dad. Which I saw at the very end during the curtain call, and it wrecked me.

[Alison Stewart]

It was so cute.

[Jonathan Groff]

It was so cute.

[Alison Stewart]

How do you feel about the audience? They seem to just really want to grab ahold of Bobby Darin.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

How do they feel about Connie Francis?

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, I mean, go up.

[Gracie Lawrence]

Yes.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's big.

[Gracie Lawrence]

I feel like. Well, when you were talking about how, like, diverse the ages are in our audience, it made me think about how, you know, Jonathan announces, and this is Connie Francis in the show. And sometimes, you know, depending on where the age is leaning of that particular show, it's a. Oh. Like a big recognition. And then for some younger audiences, they might not be as familiar with Connie Francis. And I feel like it's such a privilege to be able to be that introduction for some people to who Connie Francis was. Of course, she's going, like, extremely viral right now, which I think is the coolest thing ever on TikTok. On TikTok, which I think she just gave an interview where they were like, did you know you're going viral on TikTok? And she was like, what is that? And I was like, go off. That's perfect. But I think it's such a privilege. And so I feel like, this connection with the audience to either do right by their knowledge of this person or to kind of introduce them to this person. And it also made me think about how, like, you know, not to make this about my band, but my band has this. Our audiences are often, like, full families, like grandparents and grandkids. And I feel so lucky that my career thus far has been this thing that kind of appeals to a lot of different age groups. I think it's such a great thing, and I take a lot of pride in having music and performing music, whether it's in the show or with my band, that can reach a lot of different audiences.

[Alison Stewart]

Had you heard of Lawrence before?

[Jonathan Groff]

No.

[Alison Stewart]

You'd never seen that?

[Jonathan Groff]

No. This was my introduction to Lawrence.

[Gracie Lawrence]

So sad. It's so sad for you.

[Jonathan Groff]

It is. All the years I could have been enjoying it. It's like now, in retrospect, I have to say, too, that Lea Michele's mom, Edith Serfati, who grew up on Arthur Avenue, came by herself to see the show because she was like, my brothers pretended to be Bobby Darin in the living room. They grew up in the Bronx. My brothers would dance around and pretend to be Bobby Darin. And she was like, and Connie Francis is our Italian goddess. Is our Italian. She was so excited to see the show, and she was like, I have to come. I'm gonna come by Myself, it's like. It's a religious experience. And she came. She brought a cannoli from Arthur Avenue. And she came backstage and into the dressing room that I'm in, and she met Gracie. And she was in tears. And she was like, you did it. You did her justice. You did it for us, for all of us that worship her. You're doing it. You're like, you. She's only gonna call Gracie Connie from now on, for the rest of Gracie's life.

[Alison Stewart]

I've got something special for you. When Lawrence came in as part of our Woodstock celebration, do you remember this? You performed Joe Cocker's. With a little help from my friends. To be able to get Joe Cocker. Yeah, let's play a little bit.

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, my God.

[Alison Stewart]

We play this when we're having a bad day. We pull this out. Really?

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, that's so cool. Let's hear it. Enjoying.

[Alison Stewart]

You know, I need someone to love, right?

[Jonathan Groff]

Could it be anybody?

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, I want someone to love.

[Jonathan Groff]

You know I need someone to love. Oh, my God.

[Alison Stewart]

Your thoughts. Your thoughts.

[Jonathan Groff]

Just like. I'll say it again, once in a generation, this Gracie Lawrence. Come on. And Clyde as well. It is like they are timeless and everything. And I'm obsessed. I'm literally obsessed.

[Gracie Lawrence]

I feel the same way about you. And I think it's why we connected with each other.

[Jonathan Groff]

Cause we're obsessed with each other. No, I'm standing there with Gracie, what we just heard, that you're like. Oh, my God. Where? It's just, like, an undeniable thing. And she's dangerously good because that clip you played earlier of her singing in My First Real Love. I'm on stage with her and she makes it look so easy. It's impossible what she's singing, but it just flies out of her with the greatest of ease. It's so unbelievable.

[Alison Stewart]

We are in the countdown to the Tony Awards.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

It was announced this morning that the cast of Hamilton will be performing at the Tonys. Are you going to be a part of that?

[Jonathan Groff]

Was it announced this morning?

[Alison Stewart]

It was, yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

I don't know if I'm allowed to say.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, come on. It's all over. It's all over Instagram, I think.

[Jonathan Groff]

Okay, yeah, screw it. I'm in it for a second. For a hot second I'm in it. I'm in it for a hot second.

[Alison Stewart]

That must be exciting to think 10 years ago.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, it's crazy to think 10 years ago.

[Gracie Lawrence]

And you look exactly the same.

[Jonathan Groff]

I look exactly the same.

[Alison Stewart]

What are you looking forward to about Tony Knight, Gracie, watching Jonathan Hamilton.

[Gracie Lawrence]

I mean, so many things. My. Drat. No, I'm excited about a lot of things. It's like, such a dream come true to be in any way associated with this community. Like, this is a new thing for me. But I did, in some ways start in it as well. It was like, my first job was on Broadway, and it was so meaningful to me. It changed my life. It told me what I wanted to do with my life. And I think being welcomed back in this way, I'm just thrilled that I am going to be in that room. I've said this a million times. I was like, I just wanted to be someone's plus one. Like, honestly, I was like, jonathan's definitely gonna get nominated. I'll just try to be like, hey, hey, can I come with you? So I. Yeah. I can't believe that I'm there and I don't have to beg you for a plus one.

[Alison Stewart]

This was a really big year for Broadway. This was a really. Why do you think it was such a big year? Is it post Covid? Do people want it back? Do they want live performance back?

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, wow. I have. I couldn't speak to why. You know, I don't know enough about. I know the thing. This is, like, monetarily the biggest year Broadway has ever had.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

I can. I can only speak for me personally that, like, exactly what you said. I mean, I did. I did Merrily We Roll along last year and then went right into this show back to back, another. Another. Another show right in a row. And it's. It's because it's like Oxygen, I think. I think in this. Our show just in time, really speaks to this. There is just something that happens in a dark room when the lights go down and you're about to. It's like magic time. The lights go down and it's. And we were talking about this actually before we went on air. This. This very primal, special thing that happens. It's a very basic human need for storytelling of performers telling a story to an audience and hopefully holding up a mirror. And certainly with our show bringing a lot of. A lot of joy right now in entertainment. But there's. It's sort of like the. It's like the last place where there's no cell phones. I mean, even in concerts, like, we were at Cowboy Carter on Sunday night, which was transcendent and mind blowing. And there, you know, there's phones everywhere in the theater. You put away your phone and the lights go down, and we all, collectively, performers, band audience. We all go somewhere together. It's such a, it's such a, a, it's such a profoundly communal experience. And I think especially coming out of COVID it feels, it feels even sweeter.

[Alison Stewart]

Just in times At Circle in the Square, I've been speaking with Jonathan Groff and Gracie Lawrence. Thanks for coming in.

[Jonathan Groff]

Thank you, thank you. Thanks for having us.

[Audience Member]

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