Erika Henningsen and Jonathan Groff Bring Dream Lovers Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin to Broadway in Just in Time (Exclusive)

There's been no shortage of bio-musicals about icons of song on Broadway. The Four Seasons, The Temptations, Carole King, Neil Diamond, Peter Allen, Michael Jackson, Cher, Tina Turner, Donna Summer, Gloria Estefan — the list goes on and on.

But Just in Time, the new musical about the life of legendary singer Bobby Darin starring Tony winner Jonathan Groff, is proving to be something different.

Directed and developed by Tony winner Alex Timbers, based on an original concept by Ted Chapin, the musical — which begins performances March 28 at New York City's Circle in the Square Theatre — takes theatergoers into an intimate nightclub, where a cast of 16 will bring Darin's story to life through his catalog of hits.

It's a fully immersive experience unlike what audiences may have seen before. But as Groff, 39, told reporters at a Feb. 5 press preview, it was a necessary move to fully showcase Darin's power as a live act.

"We're playing a little bit with form and style and form to recreate the in-the-moment live magic that Bobby Darin had as a performer," he shared with The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal at the event, held at Hell's Kitchen piano bar So & So's — photos from which PEOPLE can debut exclusively.

The show will begin, Groff explained, with the actor as himself in 2025 before transporting audiences back to the 1950s and 1960s, when Darin rose to fame.

"Alex and Jonathan, they've found a way to take a historical story and make it feel very present," star Erika Henningsen notes to PEOPLE. "This is not a typical show. What's happening here is unique among the mix of what's on Broadway.

The actress, returning to Broadway for the first time since originating the role of Cady Heron in 2018's Mean Girls: The Musical, is portraying sun-kissed teen idol Sandra Dee in Just in Time.

"Proscenium-style shows that we're used to seeing on Broadway and are great as exhibiting a certain story. But for Bobby Darin's story, you need to feel him on top of you," says Henningsen, 32. "It's all about bringing people into that live experience and making them feel like they're in the living room with Bobby and Sandra, like they're in the Copacabana and like Bobby's audiences felt when he was performing."

Dee famously met Darin in the summer of 1960 on the set of the film Come September in Portofino, Italy. After a whirlwind romance, they married that December. At the time, she was just 18, and he, 24.

Up until that time, Dee — known for Gidget (1959), A Summer Place (1959), The Restless Years (1958) and her Golden Globe-winning work in 1957's Until They Sail — had led a very sheltered life under the watchful eye of her controlling mother, Mary. Her marriage to Darin famously gave the good-natured ingenue independence for the first time, allowing her to pursue life on her own terms.

"Bobby really told Sandra, 'There's more out there than your mom allows you to do,' and that was so powerful for her," Henningsen says. "She started her career in Hollywood at a very young age as a child model, and was fiercely protected by her mother and by the studio as she grew into an actress. She hadn't really had a real womanly adult experience until she met Bobby, so in a way, he kind of saved her from this life of arrested development."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

With Darin, Dee grew up fast, becoming a wife and a mother (to their son, Dodd Mitchell Darin, now 63). But while the dream lovers appeared to be a match made in heaven from the outside, their marriage was far from it. In 1967, after a tumultuous partnership that included allegations of infidelity, they divorced.

Darin died of a heart attack six years later in 1973, when he was just 37, while recovering from open-heart surgery. Dee, who never remarried, died in 2005 from complications of kidney disease at the age of 62.

Tackling Dee's story is something that drew Henningsen to the project. "Sandra had a life, with a capital L!" she recalls. "And I'm so excited to track that this role. She grows up a very fast throughout the show, and we get to go through all of it."

She's also looking forward to bringing Dee and Darin's partnership to life. Though Dee's film career would ultimately take a backseat to Darin's musical aspirations, Henningsen explains that the two were one another's ultimate cheerleaders.

"They really respected one another's talent and they really respected one another's drive," Henningsen says. "And that's pretty rare for two people who had this much acclaim, because so often you hear about one person begrudging the other for their success."

She adds, "But even after their divorced, that respect was there because they saw that part of themselves in one another. They both had that fire. Sandra saw how driven Bobby was and said, 'I can't get mad at you for doing the thing that you were born to do.' "

Darin was one of the music industry's biggest stars, and was a staple on the charts in the late 1950s and ’60s. He began his career as a member of the iconic Brill Building's songwriters but struggled to make it as a solo artist — that is, until he catapulted into the spotlight with 1958's "Splish Splash."

Other hits like "Beyond the Sea," "Dream Lover" and "Mack the Knife" followed, the latter becoming his signature song.

Throughout his short yet multifaceted career, Darin released 27 albums, starred in 13 movies, had two television variety shows and won two Grammys and one Golden Globe. He was known for switching up his styles often, exploring all genres of music such as jazz, folk, country and pop.

Just in Time will feature a book by Tony winner Warren Leight (Side Man) and Isaac Oliver (Intimacy Idiot, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). Groff, who won the best actor Tony Award just last year for his role in the acclaimed revival of Merrily We Roll Along, is also producing the musical.

Joining Groff and Henningsen in Just In Time will be Gracie Lawrence (of the band Lawrence and The Sex Lives of College Girls) as Connie Francis. The role will mark her Broadway musical debut. Tony winner Michele Pawk will play Darin's mother, Polly, who famously turned out to be his grandmother when he learned that his older sister, Nina, was actually his biological mother.

Other stars in the cast include Joe Barbara (A Bronx Tale The Musical), Emily Bergl (Good Night, Oscar), Lance Roberts (The Music Man), Caesar Samayoa (Come From Away), Christine Cornish (Kiss Me, Kate), Julia Grondin (Funny Girl), Valeria Yamin (Moulin Rouge!), John Treacy Egan (My Fair Lady), Tari Kelly (Mr. Saturday Night), Matt Magnusson, Khori Michelle Petinaud (Lempicka) and Larkin Reilly (Bad Cinderella).

Just in Time officially opens on Wednesday, April 23. Tickets are now on sale.