Matthew Morrison Confirms He Will Be Back On Broadway This Season- Page 5

[Back Row]

Posted: 11/11/14 at 3:21pm

Wasn't Brian d'Arcy James involved in readings prior to Morrison? He seems like a perfect fit for the role. I guess he just wasn't TV/movies famous enough.

[MusicAndPassion]

Posted: 11/11/14 at 11:14pm

Looks like Jeremy Jordan's mom has commented on the Finding Neverland's Facebook status, too:

"I just want to thank you all for your overwhelming support of Jeremy. I'm too biased to say he was the perfect JM Barrie, but obviously I'm not alone in that thought. Harvey thinks a big name will sell more tickets I guess - only time will tell. (Jer's mom)"

It's the most recent comment as of now.

[thebeautyis3]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 6:43am

Well, if Jeremy Jordan's mom thinks he was perfect...

That rubs me the wrong way for some reason.

What gets me is that a lot of people are acting like Morrison is some completely random B-list celebrity that Weinstein chose solely in an attempt to sell tickets (not on this site so much, thankfully). Morrison has more Broadway credits to his name than Jordan does. And while I'm sure the decision was at least in part because Weinstein believes Morrison will sell more tickets, the choice could be a lot worse.

ETA: Yes, James played Barrie in the readings before Morrison. Borle played Barrie in a reading or two (opposite Kelli O'Hara) back when Finding Neverland had different composers.

Updated On: 11/12/14 at 06:43 AM

[Back Row]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 10:50am

Jordan could do himself a favor by asking his relatives to stay off of social media for awhile. However, as inappropriate as some of their posts might be, they do appear to be genuinely disappointed that he's not going forward with the show to Broadway. Not quite the reaction one would expect from people who might have known that this was the plan all along (which, in retrospect, appears to have been the case). It just raises more questions about how forthcoming Weinstein was with Jordan prior to getting his commitment for the A.R.T. run. And Jeremy Jordan's mother has every right to think he is perfect. My mother thinks I'm perfect. It's kind of a thing that moms have.

I think the fact that some people perceive Morrison as just the Glee guy is directly attributable to how long he has been away from Broadway. Jordan's entire Broadway career, including creating two leading roles, has happened since the last time Morrison was there. There are many young Broadway fans who never saw Hairspray or South Pacific. To them, Morrison is the guy from Glee, and nothing else. The fact that neither Morrison nor Jordan is a perfect fit for this part just complicates the choice, making it more of a coin flip than an actual evaluation. I think it is a little odd that two guys that are so different were even competing for the same role, if one wants to believe that it was indeed a competition.

Both of these guys are capable of giving Tony worthy performances when given the right role, but this may not be that role for either one of them. Jordan was an ideal Jack Kelly. Morrison could have been terrific in something like On The Town. And, while it appears that Morrison will be exiled to Neverland for awhile, it will be interesting to see where Jordan pops up next. There are some intriguing possibilities out there.

Updated On: 11/12/14 at 10:50 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 12:18pm

"It just raises more questions about how forthcoming Weinstein was with Jordan prior to getting his commitment for the A.R.T. run."

If there was no clause in his contract about continuing to Broadway, there is no way that Jordan's representation would not have made him aware and tried their utmost to secure one. These things aren't settled with verbal agreements or handshake deals.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 1:04pm

I remember in many of the articles announcing Jordan’s casting, there was almost always mention about how Morrison had done the role in workshops, but was not available to do the ART production because of his filming schedule. If not said explicitly, I remember getting the definite sense that it was almost assumed that Jordan was filling in the place while Morrison was unavailable due to his “Glee” obligations. If many of us knew it at the time (just from the outside), then I am sure Jordan was well aware that Morrison would likely be returning for a Broadway run before he signed on for the ART production – which is why I am not understanding why many think that Weinstein was being “shady” and is “replacing” Jordan. While his mom may have held up hope that her son could have changed Weinstein’s mind or something else in Morrison’s career may have kept him from doing the show, I’m sure they were well aware Morrison would likely move forward with the show.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 1:16pm

^ Yup, absolutely right. People here seem to have thought that Jeremy did such a good job that maybe Harvey would change his mind, but that's not the way it works.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 4:01pm

But if Jeremy knew all along that he wouldn't be continuing with the show to Broadway wouldn't he have told his mother? Her comment makes it sound like she didn't know.

[thebeautyis3]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 4:58pm

Perhaps she (and Jordan) we're holding out hope that Morrison would drop out for whatever reason. Or that Weinstein would change his mind. But even if he did, from what I understand, Morrison always had first refusal rights. If all of us knew Morrison would be probably be taking over, I have a hard time believing that they both didn't at least suspect.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 5:01pm

Nothing that his mother said in that statement indicates that she and Jeremy didn’t know Morrison was likely to do the Broadway run. It sounds like she was simply reaching out to her son’s fans who seemed to be having a hard time with the news and adding in her wishes that he was able to continue with the show as well. Never does she mention that it was a surprise or she really thought her son had a shot at playing the role on Broadway. And, like I said, knowing full well what was likely to happen the entire time, she still could have been holding out hope that Weinstein had changed his mind or Morrison would be unavailable to do it. But, the outcry that Jordan is being “replaced” just seems very odd considering it never seemed like the role was “his” in the first place.

Also, it was not in his contract to be a part of the Broadway cast if they transferred and the majority of the general theatre public had a good idea that Morrison would likely be doing it on Broadway – so, if Jordan and his mother both assumed that Jordan would be playing the role on Broadway, then they must have been delusional. Jordan has been in the business for years now – he knows how it works and I am sure that he understood full well the likelihood of Morrison playing the role in the event of a Broadway run when he signed on for the ART production.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 5:31pm

Certainly if just about everyone on this board, and in the Western World, for that matter, was aware that it was likely Morrison would return to Neverland post his Glee commitment, it's safe to presume that Jordan and his reps at ICM were aware of it as well.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 6:27pm

Does Jeremy have a brother named Joey? If so, someone by the name of Joey Jordan commented on the Facebook post announcing Matthew Morrison, "This is gonna suck now...good job Weinstein."

...really? I can understand the disappointment, but come on. There's so much overreaction and backlash on that post, it's nuts. And the comment made by "Joey Jordan" was rude and totally uncalled for.

[Back Row]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 6:43pm

Yeah, I read that. That's why I suggested that Jordan should ask his family to stay away from social media for awhile. Everything everyone is saying about Jordan being a place holder from the gitgo makes perfect sense. There are only a couple of things that muddle the picture: Weinstein's failure to deflect rumors that he was screwing over Jordan by simply responding to Michael Riedel's direct question and telling the truth about the situation, and the reaction by members of Jordan's family now that Morrison has sign on. Other than that, everything pointed to Jordan being in the loop all along.

[Sunny11]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 6:53pm

Has any one noticed the news that Kelsey Grammer and Laura Michelle Kelly (sp) have apparently been signed?

Maybe Morrison should pull to get Jordan on to Glee for a "diva off".

[RW3]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 6:54pm

I guess this belongs in this thread, but Kelsey Grammer will be joining the cast and Laura Michelle Kelly will be rejoining the cast.

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 7:27pm

Yep. Here it is. I'm excited that both Grammer and Kelly will be part of this.


Breaking News: Kelsey Grammer Joins FINDING NEVERLAND; Laura Michelle Kelly to Reprise Role on Broadway!

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 7:44pm

The three of them together do spell ticket sales, I do believe.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 7:47pm

I looked him up and they are definitely brothers. There are pictures of the two together, he posts a bunch of stories about Jeremy and he looks a lot about him. How stupid of him to post on a Facebook story like that...

[ShakinBaconGirl]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 7:49pm

Jesus, Jordan. Keep your family off facebook. If I were him I would be so embarrassed.

[CukorLover]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 8:17pm

Yup, Grammer was the hook Weinstein really needed. No wonder he announced Morrison first.

[Back Row]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 9:53pm

Actually, looking back on that Facebook comment from Jordan's brother, it could have been just a smartass comment about all the negative hysteria. It was still ill advised, because sarcasm does not translate well into Facebook comments, but it makes much more sense in that context.

Updated On: 11/12/14 at 09:53 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 11/12/14 at 10:00pm

I agree, the drama was made up and manufactured by Jeremy lovers. His family can say whatever they want, I'm sure they are sick of all the speculation too.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 12:10am

I'm so freaking excited about the newest casting news. I've had my fingers crossed all along that Laura Michelle Kelly would transfer with the production, and now I have my wish! Kelsey Grammar is a BIG plus in my book as well!

[Back Row]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 2:46pm

Interesting tweet from Michael McGrath at about the time the NYT reported that Kelsey Grammer had been hired for Finding Neverland:

@mcgrathbway: Hmmm. I'm shocked! NOT! #trustyourgut

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 10:13am

Just saw the pictures from Jeremy’s 54 Below concert. Did anyone go? Curious to know if he mentioned anything about “Neverland” in regards to his not moving forward with it – Laura Michelle Kelly was there, so I assume they sang a song from it?