Derek Klena (Moulin Rouge!, Jagged Little Pill, Wicked) will play the enigmatic Jay Gatsby in the smash hit musical The Great Gatsby beginning Saturday, December 5, 2026. The award-winning and record-breaking musical continues to roar on at The Broadway Theatre, with tickets on sale through June 6, 2027.
Klena makes his return to Broadway after a triumphant season pitching (and singing!) for the Savannah Bananas. At the conclusion of his engagement in The Great Gatsby on Sunday, March 14, 2027, he will return to the Savannah Bananas for the 2027 season. A beloved stage performer, Derek Klena originated the role of Nick Healy in Jagged Little Pill on Broadway, for which he received a Tony Award nomination. His most recent Broadway credits include Christian in Moulin Rouge!, Fiyero in Wicked, and the original Broadway casts of Anatasia and The Bridges of Madison County. His television credits include “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin,” “City on a Hill,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “Quantico,” and “Blue Bloods.”
The musical’s current star, Ryan McCartan (Heathers The Musical, Wicked, “Liv & Maddie”), will play his final performance in the titular role on Friday, December 4, 2026. Continuing alongside Klena in the cast are China Anne McClain (Descendants franchise, “Black Lightning”, “A.N.T. Farm”) as Daisy Buchanan; Olivier Award-nominee Corbin Bleu (High School Musical franchise, Kiss Me Kate) as Nick Carraway; Naturi Naughton-Lewis (“Power”, Fame, ABC’s “Queens”) as Jordan Baker, Max Monnig (Glory of the World) as Tom Buchanan; Linedy Genao (Bad Cinderella, On Your Feet!) as Myrtle Wilson; Charlie Pollock (Urinetown, “The Good Wife”) as George Wilson; and original cast member Eric Anderson (Moulin Rouge, Waitress) as Meyer Wolfsheim.
The production’s standout ensemble features Alexis Hasbrouck (Moulin Rouge Nat’l Tour), Nathaniel Hunt (Moulin Rouge National Tour), Brandon J. Large (Aladdin Nat’l Tour), Traci Elaine Lee (Shucked), Alicia Lundgren (Funny Girl), Dariana Mullen (The Great Gatsby at Paper Mill), Dan Rosales (Trevor: The Musical), Dave Schoonover (Bad Cinderella), Sara Sheperd (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Kyla Stone (Harmony), Preston Taylor (Moulin Rouge Nat’l Tour), Damani Van Rensalier (Hamilton), Matt Wiercinski (Anastasia Nat’l Tour), and Jonathan Young (Les Misérables Nat’l Tour). Kurt Csolak (Funny Girl), Joshua Dawson (MJ Nat’l Tour), Morgan Harrison (Beetlejuice), Justin Keats (Moulin Rouge Nat’l Tour), Drew Lake (The Great Gatsby in Korea), Emily Anne Nester (The Great Gatsby Korea), Alex Prakken (New York, New York), and Elena Ricardo (Water for Elephants) round out the cast as swings.
Through an electrifying jazz and pop-infused score, featuring music & lyrics by Tony Award nominees Jason Howland (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Little Women) and Nathan Tysen (Paradise Square), The Great Gatsby was adapted for the Broadway stage by Jonathan Larson Grant-winning playwright Kait Kerrigan (The Mad Ones), award-winning director Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and choreographer Dominique Kelley (“Mariah’s Magical Christmas Special”, “Dancing with the Stars”).
