In 2013, Groff starred in "C.O.G.", a comedy-drama film adaptation based on David Sedaris's book of essays, "Naked". In the film, Groff plays David, loosely based on Sedaris himself, a young repressed gay man who moves to Oregon in search of a new purpose. The film, directed and written by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2013, and was released in theaters on September 20, 2013, to mixed but mostly positive reviews, with critics citing a "meandering" plot. As Dan Callahan from "RogerEbert.com" wrote of Groff's performance, "Groff has an innate sweetness and likability about him no matter what he does, and [...] brings a yearning to his role that steadily makes this semi-amusing tale of a fish out of water into a serious and often surprising drama". On June 11, 2013, Groff portrayed Frederic, a pirate apprentice, in a one-night-only Shakespeare in the Park gala production of the comic opera "The Pirates of Penzance." The production was directed by Ted Sperling at the Delacorte Theater, with other members of the cast including Kevin Kline, Martin Short, and Glenn Close.