Gracie Lawrence On 'Just In Time' & Jonathan Groff

Gracie Lawrence’s Broadway “audition” for Just in Time wasn’t traditional in the least. While other theater kids were racking up Playbill credits, the 28-year-old was putting out music for her soul-pop outfit Lawrence. What started as a duo with her brother Clyde in 2015 has grown into an eight-piece ensemble with four studio albums, performances at Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Outside Lands, and a burgeoning A-list fan base — including director Alex Timbers, who Lawrence had heard was a fan of the band. Years after their initial meeting, “he reached out and said, ‘I see a connection between you and this artist. If you’re interested, let me know,’” she tells NYLON.

That artist turned out to be ’50s vocalist Connie Francis, whose legacy Lawrence now brings to life eight shows a week in Just in Time, the buzzy new musical that follows the life of Bobby Darin, played by Jonathan Groff. Unless you count Lawrence’s now TikTok-famous scene in Sex Lives of College Girls in which she belts out “Never Enough,” she hasn’t been on a theater stage since she was 12. Understandably, she says she still gets nervous for almost everything; what fuels her, however, is hearing from fans. “I met someone at the stage door who was like, ‘I love the way you sang this.’ And I said, ‘Oh, how did it come off to you?’ And she said, ‘Like Gracie with a twist.’”

Here, Lawrence speaks with NYLON about her new Broadway gig, her prized record collection, and which one of her Sex Lives co-stars has seen the show.

Congratulations on Just In Time. I caught a preview, and you played Connie Francis so beautifully. How are you feeling about opening night?

I’m excited. This is all such a new process to me. The only other time I was in a Broadway show [Brighton Beach Memoirs] was when I was 12, and it was such a different experience. I just tried on my dress right before this interview.

Connie has such a distinct voice. How did you prepare for the role?

I’m a real nerd for singers. I love learning how different singers use their voices. So it’s been fun going really deep on Connie’s records and playing around with my own voice to see how her choices sit in mine. Some of them I’ve adopted. Some I’ve said, “I think it sounds better in my voice to sing it as me.”

What’s amazing about the show is it’s not impressions. We’re trying to bring the spirit and ethos of these incredible artists to a modern audience, for both people who might have been fans of Connie, and to a whole younger generation that might be coming in not knowing much about those artists. So there are little ways in which all of us are doing mannerisms or some vocal stylings from those artists, but, overall, we’re trying to bring ourselves to the artists we’re playing.

What was the most difficult song for you to sing?

“Who’s Sorry Now?” because you have to sing it perfectly. It’s so exposed. Every note is heard. The balance of singing emotionally, going through the heartbreak she experiences every night, while also wanting to deliver a pitch-perfect performance is a really challenging task.

It’s one I assume Connie herself was navigating while performing the song as well at the pinnacle of her career, and she’s just been put through the ringer emotionally behind the scenes. I think about that a lot.

Is that something you relate to?

I’ve been touring for 10 years. Sometimes I’ll have an amazing day, and it's easy to go on stage, sing, perform, and be in front of an audience. And then other days, whether you’re grieving someone or going through a breakup, the tour goes on, and so you have to put on this face as a performer where you both want to be authentic but also not drag unnecessary baggage into your performance.

You and Jonathan have amazing chemistry. Do you remember the first time you sang with him?

On my first day, we jumped into that song Jonathan and I sing together, “First Real Love.” I sang for like five seconds then Jonathan just looked at me with — I don’t know if it was surprise — but he was like, “Sing!” It was amazing, especially being such a fan of Jonathan going into the process. He’s the best at making everyone feel so comfortable. Within five minutes of meeting him, you’re joking around. He brings the best out of everyone. That’s among his many gifts.

The artists you all play in the show would be so fun to listen to on vinyl. What’s your sound system like at home?

I regrettably do not have a record player. It’s a real bummer because I actually have a pretty good record collection for someone who can’t play any they own. I have a love affair with album covers. It’s something I think about and draw a lot of inspiration from for Lawrence, working on our own album art. I love thinking about album art that means a lot to me, and inside covers and back panels and all that stuff.

In an interview, you said you related to your Sex Lives of College Girls character, Kacey, because you “get nerves every single time” you perform. How has that changed since the previews?

It hasn’t changed. When people hear that, they get so concerned! It’s adrenaline. It’s a product of caring a lot and having so much energy going into the performance. I always want each performance to be better than the last, so it’s the challenge I’m giving myself that makes me the most nervous.

Speaking of the show, who’s the last person you texted from Sex Lives of College Girls?

I text and see them all very frequently. I just saw Alyah [Chanelle Scott] in All Nighter. She was amazing. Pauline [Chalamet] just came to visit me at Just In Time. I texted Amrit [Kaur] very recently, and she’s always so supportive of everything I do. It's a very close-knit group, which is hopefully what people perceive onscreen.

For those who don’t know, your dad, Mark Lawrence, wrote Miss Congeniality and Music & Lyrics. What’s the best advice he’s given you on working in the industry?

Probably a quote from Bill Goldman, an amazing writer who was a mentor to him: “Nobody knows anything.” I think of it like no one has the exact same path you have. There are so many women in music, theater, and television I admire, but they don’t have exactly the same story. So if you have a new idea or way of doing something, believe in yourself. You’re gonna get a lot of nos in this industry. That’s just the nature of it. Don’t let those nos or people who might not get you cause you to lose faith in your own shtick.

You’re going on another North American tour with your brother soon.

Yeah, in the fall. I’m so excited. I feel like this last album we put out, Family Business, encapsulates everything we’re about as a band, family, and business. So [we’ll do] as much touring as we can do for this album, the more the better. I’m just excited for people to keep hearing these songs. There’s nothing like being in front of an audience that sings your songs back to you.

That’s such a contrast to Broadway where everybody’s quiet.

Very silent. Although I will say, with [Just In Time], people really get into it. After I finished “Who's Sorry Now?” the other night, someone yelled, “Bravissimo!”

This has been edited and condensed for clarity.