The 7 PM and 9:30 PM shows at The Cabaret at the Columbia Club in Indianapolis represented a kind of out-of-town test of the stage and screen actor's wish to complement his career by performing songs in more intimate venues.
Groff's music director was Drama Desk Award winner Mary-Mitchell Campbell, the busy New York City conductor, arranger and orchestrator known for The Addams Family, Company, Carrie and founding ASTEP/Artists Striving to End Poverty. Larry Lelli was on drums and Matt Hinkley was on guitar.
The evening's song list included:
"The Life of the Party" by Andrew Lippa from The Wild Party
"Moving Too Fast" by Jason Robert Brown from The Last 5 Years
"Everybody's Talkin'" by Harry Nilsson
The Sound of Music Medley
"Dividing Day" by Adam Guettel from The Light in the Piazza
"Ain't That Good News" by Sam Cooke
"Moon River" by Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer
"Left Behind" by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater from Spring Awakening
"Amish Paradise" by Weird Al Yankovic (by way of Coolio)
"Thank You For the Music" by ABBA
"I Got Lost in His Arms" by Irving Berlin from Annie Get Your Gun
Read Playbill.com's August interview with Groff, who talked about his work in Red and TV's "Boss."