Interview: Matthew Morrison Brings Solo Tour to Flagstar Strand Theatre

You know him and love him from his illustrious TV and Broadway roles. Morrison made his debut on Broadway in “Footloose” but his big break came when he was cast as heartthrob Link Larkin in the hit “Hairspray.” Morrison was later nominated for a Tony Award for his role in “The Light in the Piazza,” He also starred as “J.M Barrie” in the musical “Finding Neverland.” Morrison is probably best known for starring in Fox’s musical comedy series “Glee,” where he played the director of the glee club, “Mr. Schuester.” Morrison has many other iconic roles on TV/Film, but most notably on the hit CBS show The Good Wife, where he played the role of U.S. Attorney, Conor Fox, through the series finale, and as Paul Stadler throughout Season 13 and 14 of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. Matthew Morrison will be performing at Flagstar Strand Theatre in Pontiac, Michigan on October 18th. Doors open at 7:00pm.  I had the pleasure of  chatting with Morrison, about his upcoming tour Rhythms and Revelations . His passion and love for musicals, performing and dance was so sincere, I felt like I was interviewing a friend! Get your tickets here.

Check out our interview below!

Emily Schenk for BWW Detroit: You have been a part of so many iconic Broadway casts. My favorite being Light in the Piazza. Do you have a favorite show that you would love to transport back to relive that show or a character that you felt was really special to you? 

Matthew Morrison: “I mean, Hairspray was just such a beautiful time in my life. It was the first time getting a lead role in a show. And which was kind of by accident. The guy playing Link Larkin got a movie and he left the show and I kind of got bumped up. “

Emily Schenk: No way! So were you originally a swing for the production? 

MM: “Yeah, so it was just totally out of the blue and I was just playing a role in the ensemble. They didn't offer me the Broadway contract right away. The performances in Seattle were basically one long audition to see if I would get the part.

ES: Oh wow, no pressure!

MM: “Yeah, no.” Morrison laughs, “I just like I sang like my rent depended on it. I danced my ass off and sweat so much that actual hairspray burned my eyeballs. 
By the time we performed on Broadway, I booked the part and it was just one of the best rides ever.”

A lot of huge Glee fans will be attending this show, can you share any songs that you might be doing from Glee that you can tease?

MM: “Yeah
for the Glee fans, I'm going to do Fix You, a Coldplay song. I don't want to get too much away, but there will be some songs you recognize.” 

Your first self-titled album featured some fun guest stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and Elton John. Do you have a dream duet partner? 
or somebody you would love to share the stage with?

MM:  “I mean, those duets on that album were pretty dreamy. Yeah, honestly. 
Good question. You know, it's funny, I think Aaron Tveit. We're buddies and we've always had a great connection, but I would love to work with him. I would love to work with Leslie Odom Jr.. I'd love to work with Cynthia Erivo and Sutton Foster as well.” 

On Glee, during one of the episodes, you sang Singing in the Rain. 
And you also sang that on your second album. So I have to ask, is Singing in the Rain a dream role? or is it just a coincidence?

MM: “It's kind of like more of a nod to Gene Kelly. He’s someone who I just kind of grew up idolizing and his style of dance. I just love that kind of down and dirty masculine feel that Gene Kelly had, and I just always tried to emulate that. So that was kind of my tip of the hat to him.”

Speaking of Broadway, do you have a dream role that you would love to perform? 

MM: “Oh, I feel like I've really performed my dream roles a lot. The thing is, I would usually say that my dream role probably hasn't been written yet.
I love originating roles. You know, Hairspray is that for me, like the Light in the Piazza was that for me. And I just thought, both those roles were so different and so iconic.”

Now, I have to talk about your Disney album, Dreaming with Disney. You do some beautiful Disney covers. 
So I have to ask, are you a big Disney fan or dare I say Disney Adult? 

MM: “So I grew up in Orange County. Basically, we would skip school to go to Disneyland. My group of buddies, we call ourselves the Lost Boys. So
Yeah, we were definitely Disney fans.” 

ES: Do you have a favorite Disney film or a song that you love to sing? 


MM: “Honestly, I think just because of my ties to Hawaii, I love Moana so much. It's gorgeous. And I love, you know, the the freshness of the music.
And I feel like music is everything. I feel like Lion King and Moana for me are the ones I just love every single song.” 


Now, I know I speak for everyone when I say you’re a triple threat, singer, actor, dancer, during Rhythms and Revelations, do we get to see you dance a lot during the show? 

MM:
”I think I'll probably be moving a little bit.
I think what I want this show to be like, not your typical sit back and clap kind of show. I like to say it's somewhere between a concert, a confession, and maybe a little comedy thrown in. 
I think you'll laugh, you may cry. You'll definitely leave singing. And hopefully you'll feel like you know me a whole lot better when you walk out than when you walked in. 
But yeah, I love that is such a big part of my life is dance. And when I'm up there singing, even if I don't plan on it, I just can't help myself. I will be moving.” 

Speaking of your friends, the glee cast is taking over Broadway. You got Darren Criss in Maybe Happy Ending. 
You got Lea and Ches, which I know you've done that show before. And Jonathan Groff is Just in Time. 
Are you planning on seeing any of the, you know, your former “students” in any of these shows? 

MM: 
”I just saw (Maybe Happy Ending)  too, and (Darren Criss) was phenomenal. I mean, such a well-deserved Tony award. 
Yeah, I would love to see Aaron and Lea. We just saw (Jonathan Groff) as Bobby Darren. It was amazing.”

So what is your favorite part of this tour? I know you've gotten a chance to perform it a couple times. What are you looking forward to like fans seeing live?