Morrissey, the former lead singer for the 1990s British rock band The Smiths and longtime solo artist, will play a retrospective show to Broadway this May, producers announced Monday.
The singer-songwriter will play Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre for seven performances, between May2-11, in what a statement called “an intimate yet exciting exploration of Morrissey’s expansive career from his early days to his upcoming new record ‘California Son.’”
Born Steven Patrick Morrissey in Manchester, England, the musician became an influential figure in British pop and indie rock with his distinctive baritone voice, his witty and thoughtful lyrics and his sexually ambiguous and anti-establishment public persona.
The Broadway residency will happen in advance of the May 24 release of his new album, “California Son,” a collection of covers of 1960s and ’70s classics that follows last year’s release of his version of the Pretenders’ “Back on the Chain Gang.”
The new album includes Roy Orbison’s “It’s Over” as well as tunes by Joni Mitchell, Dionne Warwick, Bob Dylan and less well known artists such as early gay icon Jobriath and political activist Phil Ochs. The collection also boasts collaborations with alt-rock royalty including Billy Joe Armstrong (Green Day), Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear), Sameer Gadhia (Young the Giant).
Morrissey’s show follows Bruce Springsteen’s recent residency at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre, where he performed a reflective, conversational show for 14 months that finished last December. The Boss won a special Tony Award for “Springsteen on Broadway.”