Morrison gleeful about S.F. concert debut
Born in Fort Ord (Monterey County) and raised in Chico (Butte County), Matthew Morrison can’t quite believe it has taken him this long to make his San Francisco concert debut.
First a star on Broadway (“The Light in the Piazza,” “Hairspray”), then the world’s favorite singing and dancing Spanish teacher on “Glee” for six years, Morrison is now doing whatever he wants — reality dance shows in England, an online store cool dads (Sherpapa), albums and “Song and Dance Man,” the show he’s performing Sunday, Sept. 30, to open Bay Area Cabaret’s 15th season in the Venetian Room of the Fairmont Hotel.
Almost 20 years ago, when Morrison was in his first Broadway touring show, “Footloose,” he played San Francisco, but that was the last time. Chances are pretty good that he won’t be singing anything from that show in his cabaret act, nor is he likely to reprise any of the songs he sang as a member (for a year) of the boy band LMNT (pronounced “element”).
Audiences are more likely to hear standards.
“I’ve said this before, but it’s true: I was born in the wrong era,” Morrison says. He’s on the phone from the Hamptons in New York, where he’s on a short vacation before heading to London to continue serving as a coach on Simon Cowell’s reality dance show “The Greatest Dancer.”
“I grew up idolizing Gene Kelly,” Morrison continues. “His was the era that fits for me. I love how simple it was. Today, music is all about coming up with a cool beat. Back then it was taking music and lyrics and telling a story. Now that I’m a father, I feel more connected to that kind of storytelling than ever before, to that kind of performance that is all about being thoughtful and being present in the moment.”
No matter what Morrison does in his career, whether it’s the new reality show or the interactive museum of dance he and a group of folks, including Chita Rivera and American Ballet Theatre’s Misty Copeland, are trying to create in New York City, the day he heads to the Great White Way in the sky, his obituary will begin with four words: “‘Glee’ star Matthew Morrison …” And he’s OK with that.
“‘Glee’ afforded me the opportunity to do everything I’ve done since,” he says. “I look back at that show, and I can’t help but smile. It really pushed the boundaries of television, embracing issues that were seldom talked about on TV like being gay in high school, teenage pregnancy. Through music, the show created a safe space for people to have conversations with parents, teachers and friends. We introduced so many classics to a new generation on that show, and we introduced a lot of newer songs to older people.”
But the pace of “Glee” could be punishing.
“I’m happy not doing the show anymore,” Morrison says. “The average day was 16 hours. When we weren’t filming, we were in the reBefore cording studio or in the rehearsal hall. It was very intense — like summer stock on crack. There were lots of breakdowns behind the scenes and people just falling asleep in the middle of scenes.”
Almost the second he was done with “Glee” in 2015, Morrison headed back to Broadway, this time as the leading man in “Finding Neverland,” and not too long after that show ended in 2016, he and his wife, Renee Puente, welcomed their first child, Revel James Makai. the end of October, Revel will have turned 1 and his dad will have turned 40.
“I feel young because I dance a lot,” Morrison says. “I dance with my child and my wife. I dance for fun.”
He also dances on stage in his cabaret act. Some of the moves are choreographed and some come from inspiration in the moment. Under the lights, in front of an audience is where Morrison says he feels most comfortable.
“I find myself outside my comfort zone doing stuff I’ve never done before, like the online store and the dance museum,” Morrison says. “To be able to put that aside a bit and be onstage, that’s home for me.”