Morrison, who originated the role of Lt. Cable in the 2008 revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, is leaving the production to begin filming the new hour-long FOX television comedy "Glee," which co-stars Spring Awakening veteran Lea Michele.
South Pacific cast member Andrew Samonsky, who created the role of Lt. Eustis Carmichael, will assume the role of Lt. Cable beginning Jan. 6.
January 4 also marks the final performances of Noah Weisburg as Professor and Victor Hawks as Stewpot. Weisburg and Hawks will be succeeded by, respectively, Matt Caplan and Eric Anderson, also on Jan. 6.
In addition to performing the lushly romantic South Pacific staple "Younger Than Springtime," Morrison also duets with co-star Kelli O'Hara as Nelli Forbush in the song "My Girl Back Home," which was originally cut from the musical and reinstated for the film and current revival.
Matthew Morrison earned a 2005 Tony nomination for his performance as Fabrizio Naccarelli in The Light in the Piazza. He has also appeared on Broadway in A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, as Link Larkin in the original cast of Hairspray, as well as in Footloose and The Rocky Horror Show. On screen he has appeared in "Once Upon a Mattress," "Dan in Real Life," "Music and Lyrics," "As the World Turns," "Marci X," "Primary Colors," "Simply Funky," "Sex and the City," "The Journey of Allen Strange" and "Hack." South Pacific currently stars Kelli O'Hara as Ensign Nellie Forbush and David Pittsinger as Emile de Becque with Danny Burstein, Loretta Ables Sayre, Murphy Guyer, Sean Cullen, Luka Kain, and Michael Arnold, Becca Ayers, Wendi Bergamini, Genson Blimline, Charlie Brady, Christian Carter, Eric L. Christian, Helmar Augustus Cooper, Margot de la Barre, Christian Delcroix, Laura Marie Duncan, Mike Evariste, Julie Foldesi, Rob Gallagher, Maryann Hu, Zachary James, Robert Lenzi, Deborah Lew, Peter Lockyer, Garrett Long, Nick Mayo, Liz McCartney, George Merrick, William Michals, Kimber Monroe, George Psomas, Greg Roderick and Jerold E. Solomon. Bartlett Sher directs.
Tickets for the Lincoln Center Theater revival of South Pacific are available at the Vivian Beaumont box office (150 West 65th Street), at Telecharge.com or by visiting www.lct.org.
