Just in Time - Matt Morrison?

I heard he was on the short list of potential replacements and was spotted at the show this week...

He’d be fine (Jonathan’s Bobby does have shades of the showmanship and confidence of Hairspray’s Link) but not exciting. Going from Jesse St. James to Mr. Schu feels a little ho-hum, but it’s not terrible.

He’d be fine but I question whether he’ll be a draw these days. Whoever steps in will have big shoes to fill and it’ll be a test of whether people are excited for the show or just Groff.

Both are popular but Jeremy has been on Broadway so often in the last few years, I think he's fresh on people's minds and he's incredibly charismatic. I don't know what Matthew has been doing for the past few years, so I'm not sure if he's still a name.

I think Matthew Morrison has definitely faded into obscurity a bit and following a performance like Groff’s might be a bit humbling for sure. I’m also surprised to see he’s not that much older than Groff, but definitely does not read as young enough to portray someone who peaked in their 20s and died at 36

Jeremy Jordan is back in Gatsby until at least late April/early May, since he’s alternating the role with Ryan McCartan while doing tour dates for his band through April.

Could it be possible his 54 Below show is a dry run to see if he still has enough commercial appeal to be a high profile replacement? It’s not really selling all that well so I wonder…

Honestly, easing back in with a stint in Chicago seems like the better move, especially since he already knows the show (did it in Asia) and he’s not going to invite sharp comparisons to his predecessor

Not a Mr Schue or Matthew hater but I've seen clips of his night show act and they are just off. I can't explain it but something doesn't seem right to me.

I know Tik Tok may not be the best indicator, but every time a Matt Morrison video shows up on my feed there are more comments making fun of him than what seem supportive. There’s something almost “cringe” about him, like he’s trying to relive the glory days kind of vibe.

EDSOSLO858 said: "Was he “cancelled” or something? Any post-Grinch controversy?

Like it or not, it just seems like hating certain pop culture figuresfor no reason whatsoeveristhe “right” thing to do in today’s world, and the “cool kids”hop on the bandwagon. Consider the unwarranted Coldplay vitriol going around even before the Foxborough Jumbotron fiasco."

There was a rumor that his firing from SYTYCD was due to inappropriate messages sent to a colleague, but he denied it and there didn't seem to be any follow-up on it. Most of the response to him is just what Observation said, that his online presence is kind of embarrassing, and that's coupled with a LOT of similarly awkward clips that tend to get circulated often of him on Glee.

darquegk said: "He's famous for playing two somewhat problematic, predatory or outright sleazy characters (Mr. Schu and his version of the Grinch). Those are the only real dent he made in public consciousness, and he's long been dogged by rumors that his real life behavior is similar, including the fact that he was allegedly dating the (not-actually-that-much-younger) actress who played the student he had uneasy boundaries with on Glee during the early years.

Personally, I think Morrison is probably harmless, just another cuspy Gen Xer straight man who never quite shook off his college self. But I can see why he'd be the kind of person on or offstage to give people "the ick" just based on the work he does."

if you mean Lea Michele, according to Lea they dated for a nano second while they were both still on Broadway pre Glee. Lea is 8 years older than Rachel Berry and was an adult when they very briefly dated. Lea dated Cory Monteith during the early parts of series 1 quietly but they put the relationship on hold when the show got big so quick. they later got together again in late 2011 ( although didn't go public until early 2012) and were together until his death in July 2013.

So there was nothing problematic about Matt and Lea's very brief relationship pre Glee.

From a PR standpoint, both Morrison and Weinstein handled the Finding Neverland mess pretty badly. Clumsy justification after clumsy justification. Of course, Weinstein had bigger issues to deal with after that, but Morrison’s sense of entitlement lingered. No matter the role, he performs with the “Hey, I’m Matt Morrison and you’re welcome!” attitude. It’s annoying as hell. On the plus side, he’s a legit dancer, something Jordan is not. Of course, neither was Groff before this show. Since FN, Jordan has become a seasoned cabaret performer, something that would clearly work to his advantage in this show. I can think of a half dozen performers who could perform the role very well, and Morrison is certainly one of them. However, if you narrow the list to those who could perform the role AND sell tickets, Morrison gets left behind.


Morrison is a talented guy, but if the goal is to create excitement and sell tickets, I’m afraid his ship has sailed.

I really wish it would be Santino Fontana...