By Michael Buckley *
Matthew Morrison, most recently Lt. Cable in the revival of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic South Pacific, has performed in musicals that represent three generations of Richard Rodgers' family. Sir Harry in the TV-movie version of daughter Mary Rodgers' "Once Upon a Mattress," he earned Tony/Drama Desk/Outer Critics Circle nominations, as Fabrizio, in grandson/son Adam Guettel's A Light in the Piazza.
Very comfortable in Mr. Scheus' shoes — "I get to sing and dance" — Morrison had to face the challenge of "memorizing all those lines," instead of learning a part and keeping it fresh, eight times a week. Of course, unlike working onstage, television provides the safety net of retakes.
06 Sep 2009
Matthew Morrison in "Glee"
photo by Carin Baer/FOX
Still smarting from having shot five TV pilots in as many seasons, none of which was picked up, Morrison was initially pessimistic about the future of a musical series.
"On the Street Where You Live" was his "Glee"-audition song, and for the callback, he points out, "I bought a ukulele and accompanied myself on 'Over the Rainbow.'"
Morrison's delighted that his character's sparring partner is Jane Lynch, whom he greatly admires. Revealing that the cast was often allowed to improvise, he acknowledges that Lynch frequently broke him up.
When the first-season DVD is released, one of the bonuses, Morrison discloses, will be a number of funny flubbed moments, and he (and others) responding to Lynch's comments.
Kristin Chenoweth plays a former glee-club star who, explains Morrison, "was a senior when I was a freshman." She dropped out of school and has experienced some hard times.
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| Matthew Morrison with Victor Garber on "Glee" | ||
| photo by Carin Baer/FOX |
Victor Garber and Debra Monk guest star as Will's parents. His father encourages Will "to have the balls" to follow through with his plans, something at which the elder Scheuster failed. Will's mother is alcoholic.
"Josh Groban's in that episode," notes Morrison, "and tries to hit on Debra Monk." But that's as much as he'll divulge about the storyline. "You have to see it."
Fans of musical theatre, he believes, will respond favorably to the show tunes that are interspersed throughout the episodes. "But doing a rap number ["Gold Digger"] was the most fun I had." Though not all musical-theatre fans enjoy rap, Morrison insists, "They'll like this. You'll see!" *
A repeat of the pilot, in a Murphy director's cut, aired Sept. 2, and the Sept. 4 airing of the pilot allowed fans to tweet questions and receive answers on Twitter.
Gleeks unite, Broadway fans tune in, Trekkies convert! The offbeat Club "Glee" is steamrolling your way and prospects seem good that the series — again, to quote Mr. Hammerstein — "looks like it's climbin' clear up to the sky."
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Various and Sundry
Upcoming "Glee" guest star (Sept. 16) Tony winner (The Jersey Boys) John Lloyd Young stars in "Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!" — with Lainie Kazan, Carmen Electra, Jai Rodriguez, Bruce Vilanch.
"Glee" regular Jane Lynch stands out as Julia Child's 6-foot-4-inch sister, Dorothy, in the delightful "Julie and Julia", which includes a very funny Dan Aykroyd spoof of the chef.
As Child, Meryl Streep, rates a 16th Oscar nomination for a superb performance. On a recent interview with "Charlie Rose", she said that part of her research involved watching segments of Child's TV cooking show. "The very earliest ones" were helpful, claiming that later tapes, "became performances." Why has Streep made seven movies in two-and-a-half-years? "They asked me."
Seven-time Tony nominee/two-time winner (The Good Doctor, The Heiress) Frances Sternhagen is in the cast of "Julie and Julia," as are Tony nominees Stanley Tucci, Brooks Ashmanskas, Stephen Bogardus, Helen Carey, Linda Emond, Erin Dilly.
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The entertaining Robert Wagner memoir, "Pieces of My Heart," has some very funny anecdotes, and a fascinating casting idea. Studio head Jack Warner bought the rights to Gypsy for Natalie Wood (twice Mrs. Wagner). Warner asked Wagner who should play Rose, and went ballistic when Wagner said, "Judy Garland."
According to Warner, who produced "A Star Is Born," he attended a party at the star's home, only to discover that "Judy and Sid Luft had taken the [film's] furniture...and had moved it into their house." But just imagine Judy as Rose!
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Angela Lansbury, who is expected to go from playing Madame Arcati (her fifth Tony-winning role) in Blithe Spirit) to Madame Armfeldt (in the revival of A Little Night Music), takes time Sept. 19, at 1 PM, at the Majestic, to host Celebrating Bea Arthur, a memorial for her "Bosom Buddies," Mame Tony-winning other half, Vera Charles ("The Man in the Moon Is a Lady"). Arthur (1922-2009) also played Vera in the misconceived "Mame" movie, starring Lucille Ball.
Among those honoring the 11-time Emmy nominee, who won as "Maude" and as Dorothy Zbornick ("Golden Girls"), will be Adrienne Barbeau (her daughter on "Maude"), Chita Rivera, Zoe Caldwell, "Golden Girls" co-star Rue McClanahan, Billy Goldenberg (Arthur's accompanist), Sheldon Harnick, Norman Lear, Anne Meara, Jerry Stiller, Rosie O'Donnell. Free to the public, it's first-come, first-served.
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Tony winner (Nine, Titanic) Maury Yeston has written three new songs for the Rob Marshall-directed movie version of "Nine" (a November release). They're sung by three of the stars: Marion Cotillard, who plays the wife of Daniel Day-Lewis (Guido), Sophia Loren (Guido's mother), and Kate Hudson (a Vogue editor). You Tube has the "Nine" trailer, which rates a 10, and is adding hits by the score.
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Campbell Scott, who appears on "Royal Pains," joins the cast of "Damages", starring Glenn Close, when the series returns in January.
(Stage to Screens is Playbill.com's monthly column that connects the dots between theatre, film and television projects and people. Contact Michael Buckley at stagetoscreens@aol.com.)
