Breaking News: Tony Yazbeck Will Fly to FINDING NEVERLAND as the New J.M. Barrie; Matthew Morrison Departs on 1/24

This just in- FINDING NEVERLAND has found its new leading man! As BroadwayWorld previously reported, there are just over two weeks left to see Tony Award®-nominee and star of TV's "Glee," Matthew Morrison as Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie in the smash hit, record-breaking Broadway musical Finding Neverland. Morrison's final performance will be Sunday, January 24. Before he goes, however, audiences will have only one week to catch Morrison on stage again with his opening night co-star, Emmy Award®-winner Kelsey Grammer, who returns to the show on Tuesday, January 19. (Grammer was previously announced to begin his run on January 15, however, his engagement will now commence on Monday, January 19.) Tony Award®-nominee Tony Yazbeck (On The Town) will take over the role of J.M. Barrie alongside Grammer, beginning Tuesday, January 26.

The production, which last week had a record-breaking $1.5 Million in sales, plays at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenues).

Tony Award® winning director Diane Paulus said today, "I'm deeply grateful that Matthew made his return to Broadway as JM Barrie in Finding Neverland. He is a brilliant performer and has been an amazing company leader at the Lunt-Fontanne, dedicating himself to this production and to our audiences over the last year. I am thrilled that Kelsey is returning, and that Tony Yazbeck is joining the production. Tony is a 'triple threat'-he can do it all, and this makes him a perfect fit for the demands of the role of JM Barrie. I can't wait to work with him!"

Finding Neverland follows playwright J.M. Barrie as he summons the courage to become the writer - and the man - he yearns to be. Barrie finds the inspiration he's been missing when he meets the beautiful widow Sylvia and her four young sons: Jack, George, Michael and Peter. Delighted by the boys' hilarious escapades, Barrie conjures the magical world of Neverland and writes a play unlike any the high-society London theatergoers have ever seen. It's a tremendous risk, but as Barrie himself has discovered- when you believe, you can fly. The show is directed by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Hair), with music and lyrics by Gary Barlow (Take That) and Grammy® winner Eliot Kennedy, book by Olivier Award nominee James Graham and choreography by Emmy Award®-winner Mia Michaels ("So You Think You Can Dance," Cirque du Soleil's Delirium).

Tony Yazbeck (J.M. Barrie beginning January 26) recently concluded his run as Gabey in the critically acclaimed revival of On The Town on Broadway. He earned the 2015 Tony, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations as well as the Fred Astaire Award for his performance. He also recently collaborated with Hal Prince and Susan Stroman on Prince of Broadway, which made its premier in Japan in the fall of 2015. Other Broadway credits include Chicago (Billy Flynn), Irving Berlin's White Christmas (Phil Davis), Gypsy w/ Patti LuPone (Tulsa, Outer Critics Circle nom.), A Chorus Line (Al), Oklahoma!, Never Gonna Dance, and Gypsy w/ Tyne Daly. Off-Broadway: Fanny Hill at the York, and for City Center Encores!: Little Me, On The Town, Gypsy, The Apple Tree, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Pardon My English. Regional theaters include: Alliance, Barrington Stage, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Hartford Stage, Goodman, St. Louis Muny, Goodspeed (Connecticut Critics Circle Award), Signature (Helen Hayes Award), Trinity Rep., Paper Mill, Old Globe. Tony starred in Kiss Me Kate at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He was seen in NBC's "Smash," and the feature documentary "Every Little Step." Tony also stars in his own song and dance show, The Floor Above Me. His debut album will be released in February 2016.