Austin Colby on Finding His 'Frat Boy' Tom Buchanan and Sharing the Stage With Jeremy Jordan in The Great Gatsby

Here is Austin Colby’s daily ritual: Roll out of bed, play with his dog, take a long walk, wake up his body, eat a good meal, ride the subway down to the Broadway Theatre...and then go on stage in The Great Gatsby to portray the ultimate obnoxious and deceitful villain. “He really is the worst!” Colby says.

Yes, the good-natured, “good sport” actor takes on Tom Buchanan in the lush musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel about money, power and class during the Roaring Twenties. For those who only vaguely recall the book from high school (or didn’t see the two subsequent movies), Tom is the arrogant old-money heir living on Long Island’s East Egg who can scarcely mask his contempt for his smooth and handsome neighbor, Jay Gatsby (Jeremy Jordan)—and not just because Jay is an ex-flame of Tom’s wife, Daisy (Aisha Jackson). “Tom is entitled and opportunistic, benefitting from society then and now,” says Colby, who made his Broadway debut as an original member of the ensemble. Calling from his dressing room an hour before his Thursday matinee, he shares all with Broadway.com.

You sound very relaxed considering you’re less than an hour from showtime. Are you?
I’m fine! I was part of the original Broadway company in the ensemble—I understudied for two roles. And so now taking over as Tom, this was probably the easiest rehearsal process I've ever had because I had already experienced it and had time with the other actors on stage and with the creative team. So I’m definitely relaxed at this point. But sometimes it is daunting to say that I’m working on Broadway.

You also recently began working again with Jeremy Jordan, who’s back as Jay. Does that transition keep you on your toes?
It’s very exciting. Certain things are universal with the Gatsby character, but this is live theater. And Jeremy is obviously a different actor with a different interpretation of the role. We did have a rehearsal process so we were able to revisit his version of the show and have conversations and collaborate to tell this story to the best of our abilities. You know, we’re still trying to make it fresh. But if you loved Ryan McCartan as Jay, you’ll love Jeremy too. They’re two extraordinary performers and wonderful actors that I’ve looked up to throughout my career. It’s a pinch-me moment to share that stage.

As you mentioned, you started out in the production understudying John Zdrojeski in the role before taking over earlier this year. How did you pivot into playing Tom full-time?
Well, being here in the theater, I was aware when John put in his notice that he was going to be leaving. I knew there would be pending change. So I reached out to my agents, and I said, “I don't know if [the producers] would consider me, but they have the costumes for me and I know all this material. So if they would be willing to even consider it, I’d love to audition.” So I auditioned and [director] Marc Bruni made a joke saying, “Thank you so much for learning all this material.” And I said, “I'm happy to be here. Thank you for taking the time to see me. And if you want to see it again, I'm actually on this Friday.” So we had a good sense of humor about it all.

Still, it must have been a huge thrill to see your name in the Playbill like that for the first time.
Absolutely. It’s an honor that the producers trusted me with the responsibility. But I think that's part of being in this industry, especially as an understudy: The more you can step into the role and know the environment in which you're stepping into, the more confident you can be in telling the story. I love when understudies go on and they’re on their game because they just get to play and explore. So I have a lot of people to thank for getting me to this place—not only the principal actors but all the understudies, too. We all pushed each other to do the best work possible.

Did you watch the movie and the books to prepare?
When we started the production at the Paper Mill Playhouse, I had to reread the book because it had been a bit. I was like, “Oh yeah, this was good.” And I’ve seen the [2013] Leonardo DiCaprio movie. I need to watch the [1974] Robert Redford version of the movie as well. I've heard wonderful things about it, and especially with his passing, I was reminded that I still needed to watch it.

Did you shape your Tom in a specific way after reading the book?
I shaped the character around my own personal experiences with the Toms that I've interacted with. I wanted to do my own thing. But the blueprint was John Zdrojeski, who absolutely created something spectacular to build off of. With my interpretation in terms of music and dance, I also feel like there are some aspects that give my Tom a more contemporary feel. Some people have called it a frat boy feel because he fills that stereotype of being an entitled jerk.

Do you see any good side to him?
Even for a villain, you do have to take the side of your character. There’s a big scene at the Plaza Hotel when Tom says, “It doesn't really matter how much money you make; it matters what world you were born into.” So he knows it’s a lost cause for anyone to be fighting this particular battle. The true villain, I think, in The Great Gatsby, is actually the American dream. Our book writer, Kait Kerrigan, mentions this a lot. That resonated with me, and that’s what I want audiences to take away from it.

Those audiences have been packing the Broadway Theatre for more than a year. What makes the show so special?
Well, I feel like the title of the show is something that people recognize. They also come for the party aspect of the show — the glitz, the glamour, the beautiful costumes by Linda Cho, the incredible set by Paul Tate dePoo III. So it’s pretty spectacular. And then you add the sweeping melodies, and you have something that’s extraordinary.

Are you used to the grand scale of the production by now?
I am still amazed by it. But what’s great about a show with this much of a following is that everyone is wonderful — even down to the security guards standing by the stage door when we’re interacting with the fans. It takes a village to put this production together. That’s never lost on me.

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