Matthew Morrison’s Broadway Comeback Is Just In Time—and on His Own Terms

Matthew Morrison made a name for himself on television as McKinley High’s glee club director Will Schuester (aka Mr. Schue) on the beloved musical series Glee. But his roots are on stage, having starred in the original Broadway productions of Hairspray, The Light in the Piazza, Finding Neverland and more. The Tony nominee is returning to Broadway for a three-week stint as Bobby Darin in Just In Time at the Circle in the Square Theatre, where he performed in his second Broadway show—as a Phantom in the ensemble of The Rocky Horror Show—26 years ago. He’ll be taking over for another Glee alum, Jonathan Groff, who wraps up his celebrated run on March 29. Morrison will put his spin on Darin from April 1 through 19, succeeded by Tony nominee Jeremy Jordan, who is set to begin performances on April 21. The veteran performer took a break from rehearsing to talk with Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek about making a theatrical comeback on his own terms.

"It is such a special show, and this is such a special moment. There honestly aren't roles like this that come around very often," Morrison says of why he chose to return to Broadway in Just In Time. "I'm very excited to sink my teeth into it." Though he is a Broadway veteran, this is the first time Morrison has replaced someone in a show, making it a unique experience. "I’m used to being on the ground floor and creating," he says. "But honestly to take over Jonathan's very, very big shoes to fill is such an honor because he is a friend. He is a beast in this show. He laid the map so perfectly that it actually takes some of the work off of me.”

Morrison is particularly excited to tap into Darin’s catalog. “I've never done any of these songs before. I've had friends who have seen this show and they're like, ‘This is so up your alley.’ These are the songs that I love to sing. I'm a crooner, I'm a song-and-dance man. So I feel like this show really fits me like a glove. I'm excited to put my mark on it.”

Preparing for the part is hard work, particularly on a physical level. “The thing I need to work on is the cardio,” says Morrison. “I can do all the dancing and the singing, but putting them together and finishing on this long-held note with a rubber ducky in my hand [in 'Splish Splash'], I'm huffing and puffing. And then, right after that, I go into a monologue. I'm like, 'Can you just give me a chance to breathe here?'"

After wrapping up his six-season run on Glee, Morrison starred as Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie in the Broadway musical Finding Neverland. "I think I had something to prove back then. And it was all about what's next?" Morrison says of his early years on stage. "Now I feel like I am able to sit into the present of it all. Since I'm only doing this for three weeks, every note, every laugh, every moment is... I can already feel the gratitude I have. I feel that in my bones, that I'm really just grateful to be here."

It’s been a decade since Morrison has been on Broadway, which he says was a conscious choice on his part. “I've been offered different Broadway shows, but a typical Broadway show, you sign a year contract and you're in it for a year and to do that in this stage of my kids' lives, it doesn't feel aligned,” says Morrison, who has two children, ages four and eight. “When they offered this to me for three weeks, I just jumped at it. Because I was like, this is perfect. I get to get back on Broadway without having to miss too much of my kids' lives. I'm coming back with such a different kind of energy and I've slowed down a lot. This doesn't feel like I have to prove anything. It feels more like a thank you to the community."

With his limited engagement on the horizon, Morrison is looking to a late theater legend as his northern star. “I had a fitting yesterday and there was this poster on the wall of Angela Lansbury and it said, '24 performances in The King and I.' She was doing a three-week run and I was like, you know what, that's a national treasure right there. Angela was just kind of shining down on me and giving me inspiration for these three weeks.”

Watch the full interview below:

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