Broadway Star Morrison Leaps To TV With 'Glee'

Matthew Morrison has the kind of talent that is most often seen on stage. An actor who can also sing and dance, he starred as Link in the Broadway Production of "Hairspray," won a Tony for his work in "The Light in the Piazza" and sent shivers down the spine of Rodgers & Hammerstein fans with his spot-on portrayal of Lieutenant Cable in the recent revival of "South Pacific."

(Soundbite of song, "Younger Than Springtime")

Mr. MATTHEW MORRISON (Actor): (As Lieutenant Cable) (Singing) Younger than springtime are you, softer than starlight are you, warmer than winds of June are the gentle lips you gave me…

NEARY: Now Morrison brings his considerable talents to the small screen in the exuberant and funny new Fox show "Glee." He plays Will Schuester, a high school Spanish teacher who decides to lead his school's down-and-out glee club back to the former glory it enjoyed when he was a student. In this scene, Morrison struts his stuff for his students and shows just how wide a range he has with his version of a Kanye West hit.

(Soundbite of song, "Gold Digger")

Unidentified Man: (Singing) She take my money.

Mr. MORRISON: (As Will Schuester) (Singing) Cutie da bomb, met her at a beauty salon…

Unidentified Man: (Singing) When I'm in need.

Mr. MORRISON: (As Will Schuester) (Singing) …with a baby Louis Vuitton under her under arm.

Unidentified Man: (Singing) She steal me money.

Mr. MORRISON: (As Will Schuester) She said I can tell you rock, I can tell by ya charm.

Unidentified Man: (Singing) When I'm in need.

Mr. MORRISON: (As Will Schuester) Far as girls you got a flock, I can tell by ya charm and ya arm.

Unidentified Man: (Singing) I got needs. I got needs.

Mr. MORRISON: (As Will Schuester) But I'm lookin' for the one, have you seen her?

Unidentified Group: No, we ain't seen her. She steal me money.

Mr. MORRISON: (As Will Schuester) (Singing) Now, I ain't sayin' she a gold digger.

NEARY: Matthew Morrison joins us from our studios at NPR West. Good to have you on the show, Matthew.

Mr. MORRISON: Very nice to be here, Lynn.

NEARY: Now, I know that you have done some TV roles here and there, but as I said, you really are kind of a Broadway guy. So, were you at all wary of taking on such a big part on a TV show?

Mr. MORRISON: No. You know, I have been for the past five pilot seasons, I've always come out to L.A. and done a pilot. So, this is the first one to actually go. And, you know, if I could've written a part for myself, this would've been it. It's the perfect transition from going from stage into TV.

NEARY: What makes it so perfect for you?

Mr. MORRISON: Well, you know, obviously the singing and dancing make it really special and suited to what I do well.

(Soundbite of song, "Leaving on a Jet Plane")

Mr. MORRISON: (Singing) 'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again. Oh, babe, I hate to go.

And, you know, I've kind of based this character on a couple of teachers that I've had in the past.

NEARY: Who? Tell me about those teachers.

Mr. MORRISON: Well, one of them is this guy, Ralph Opasic(ph), who was the director of the performing arts program that I went to in high school. The other, his name is, I call him Mr. Dorn(ph), obviously, but his name is Phil Dorn(ph). He was the English teacher I had in high school. And he was just so optimistic. One of those teachers that it was just - everything he said you just - it was just so infectious.

NEARY: Let's talk a little bit about the high school in "Glee" because it's very funny and it really does work with the stereotypes we all have in our minds about high school. I mean, did it bring back any bad memories for you of high school or…

Mr. MORRISON: No. I actually had such an amazing high school experience. I know, you know, there's no real middle ground when you talk about - when you ask people about their high school experiences. They either loved it or they hated it. I'm probably the only person in the show, the only actor on our show that really just enjoyed high school. I got the most out of it. I was involved in so many programs.

But the character on our show that I kind of associate myself with is Finn because I was really into athletics as well. And I kind of had to choose at one point between playing soccer, which was my sport, and being in the musicals.

NEARY: And, of course, Finn is the jock, the quarterback on the football team who decides to get involved with this kind of pathetic group of very talented singers and dancers in the glee club.

(Soundbite of song, "Can't Fight This Feeling")

Mr. CORY MONTEITH (Actor): (As Finn Hudson) (Singing) And I can't fight this feeling anymore.

Mr. MORRISON: I suddenly realized why I had wanted to do this thing in the first place.

(Soundbite of song, "Can't Fight This Feeling")

Mr. MONTEITH: (As Finn Hudson) (Singing) I've forgotten what I started fighting for.

Mr. MORRISON: I was seeing the gift in a kid that they didn't even know they had.

(Soundbite of song, "Can't Fight This Feeling")

Mr. MONTEITH: (As Finn Hudson) (Singing) And I can't fight this feeling anymore.

Mr. MORRISON: It was pure talent.

(Soundbite of song, "Can't Fight This Feeling")

Mr. MONTEITH: (As Finn Hudson) (Singing) If I have to crawl upon your floor, come crashing through your door. Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore.

NEARY: Now, your nemesis in this show is the head of the cheerleaders who is played really brilliantly by Jane Lynch. We're going to play a clip of a scene in which she gives you the lowdown on high school pecking order. Let's listen to that.

(Soundbite of TV show, "Glee")

Ms. JANE LYNCH (Actor): (As Sue Sylvester) So, what you're doing right now is called blurring the lines. High school is a caste system. Kids fall into certain slots. Your jocks and your popular kids, up in the penthouse. The invisibles and the kids playing live action druids and trolls out in the forest, bottom floor.

Mr. MORRISON: (As Will Schuester) And where do the glee kids lie?

Ms. LYNCH: (As Sue Sylvester) Sub-basement.

NEARY: You know, I wanted to ask you about this cast because although the sort of premise here is that this is kind of a pathetic group of kids, these are amazingly talented people. What's it like working with the singers and - that you work with on the show?

Mr. MORRISON: The best part of going to work is when we have, you know, when we're actually shooting a musical scene. You know, you can just see it in all the crew, all their faces, you know, because they've, you know, been doing shows for so long, but they've never done anything like this. To - so to go to work and to get to hear performances and stuff, it really just makes the whole vibe on set just so special and so unique and different than any other set I have ever been on.

(Soundbite of song, "Take a Bow")

Ms. LEA MICHELE (Actor): (As Rachel Berry) (Singing) And don't tell me you're sorry 'cause you're not, baby, when I know you're only sorry 'cause you got caught. But you put on quite a show. You really had me going, now it's time to go. Curtain's finally closing. That was quite a show, very entertaining. But it's over now.

NEARY: Do you think there's sort of a revival of interest in musicals these days, whether it's on television or film or stage?

Mr. MORRISON: Absolutely. I mean with, you know, all the musical movies that have come out, "Hairspray" and "9" is coming out, "Chicago," it's a different world and I think people are really a lot more accepting, the musical. And, you know, especially with the success of "High School Musical," that was just huge. And, you know, people have called us the anti "High School Musical," which I think is kind of appropriate. We - 'cause our show deals a lot with the kids, but also you see a lot of the adult storylines.

NEARY: How different is it performing on television, these big musical numbers? I mean, do you have to adjust to your - what you do in some way for the small screen?

Mr. MORRISON: Maybe a little bit because, you know, in the theater you're playing to the last row in the audience. But all the songs in our show come from, like, we're either doing a performance or in a rehearsal. I don't just pop out as - into song in the cafeteria, you know.

NEARY: What are some of the - what are some of the songs that we're going to be hearing?

Mr. MORRISON: Like you heard, I'm going to be rapping a little bit. And it's going to be everything from, you know, bringing oldies back. And you're going to be hearing contemporary music. You're going to be hearing musical theater music. And I dare to say that some of the songs that we're doing I think are better than the original versions of them.

(Soundbite of song, "Don't Stop Believin'")

Mr. MONTEITH: (As Finn Hudson) (Singing) Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world, she took the midnight train going anywhere.

Ms. LEA MICHELE (Actor): (As Rachel Berry) (Singing) Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit, he took the midnight train going anywhere.

Mr. MORRISON: "Don't Stop Believin'" was the number one song on iTunes. And I really hope, and I think that we might have a couple more number one hits.

(Soundbite of song, "Don't Stop Believin'")

Mr. MONTEITH: (As Finn Hudson) (Singing) A singer in the smoky room.

Ms. LEA MICHELE (Actor): (As Rachel Berry) (Singing) A smell of wine and cheap perfume. For a smile they can share the night, it goes on and on and on and on. Strangers, waiting up and down the boulevard.

Mr. MONTEITH: (As Finn Hudson) (Singing) For a smile they can share the night. It goes on and on and on and on. Strangers, waiting up and down the boulevard.

NEARY: Well, I know, of course, every actor's dream is to be part of something that's really popular, but are you ready to make a long-term commitment to a TV show? What would that do your stage career?

(Soundbite of laughter)

Mr. MORRISON: It's a little scary, I'm not going to lie. Somebody told me that more people saw the pilot of the show than the entire 10 years I've been performing on Broadway. So - but it's exciting in the way that I get to showcase what I do well to such a huge audience. And actually, my mom is actually in Argentina right now and she saw a commercial for "Glee." It's just - it kind of blows my mind a little bit.

NEARY: Matthew Morrison stars in "Glee," a new musical comedy TV show which airs on Fox. He joined us from the studios of NPR West. Thanks for being with us, Matthew.

Mr. MORRISON: Thank you, Lynn.

(Soundbite of song, "Don't Stop Believin'")

Mr. MONTEITH and Ms. MICHELE (Actors): (As Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry) (Singing) Some will win, some will lose, some were born to sing the blues. Oh, the movie never ends. It goes on and on and on and on. Don't stop believin', hold onto the feeling. Streetlight people, oh, don't stop.

NEARY: This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. Liane Hansen is back next week. I'm Lynn Neary. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.