Isa Briones is stepping into the role of Connie Francis in the Broadway musical "Just in Time," marking a triumphant return to the Great White Way for the star of "The Pitt," who debuted in "Hadestown" in March 2024. Her limited run begins on April 1, alongside Matthew Morrison as the crooner Bobby Darrin, and she will later share the stage with Jeremy Jordan when he takes over on April 21.
In addition to her role as Dr. Trinity Santos on "The Pitt," Briones has graced the stage frequently, including in the national tour of "Hamilton" and East West Players' "Next to Normal." She was drawn to play Francis, a legendary 1950s and '60s ballad singer, as it allows her to emulate the vocal style of that era and balances well with the more serious content of "The Pitt."
"It's delightful to do something that truly feels like pure joy for two hours," Briones said shortly after her first rehearsal for "Just In Time" on Tuesday. The role aligns with her goal of continuing to navigate between theater and television throughout her career, which has also included roles on the Disney+ series "Goosebump" and the Paramount+ series "Star Trek: Picard."
In the second season of HBO's medical drama, Briones' character sings a Filipino lullaby to an infant patient - an idea that came from the writers and involved consulting her father, Broadway actor Jon Jon Briones, for help selecting the right song. "The Pitt" is known for playing to people's strengths and skills, and since they knew she could sing, they said, "Alright, let's do it."
Briones had a more trying test while shooting episode nine in the second season of "The Pitt," which premiered on March 5, when she began to feel stomach pain and eventually had to undergo an appendectomy. Despite this, she still shot scenes for the episode both pre- and post-surgery. "We shut down for two days. But when we came back, everyone came to me and said, 'Honestly, thank you for having appendicitis, because we needed those two days,'" she recalled.
Briones joins "Just In Time" about a year into its well-received run, taking over the role of Francis from Sarah Hyland. For her second time on Broadway, Briones feels "really ready" and prepared for the demands of an eight-show week, based on her experience as Eurydice in "Hadestown." She said, "I think I learned a lot from doing it. It was such an incredible experience, and I loved it. But I can now look back and say, 'Oh, I know what I can do better now.'"
