Derek Klena to Star in The Great Gatsby on Broadway

Derek Klena is swapping the Bananas for the bourgeoisie. The Tony nominee will take over the title role in Broadway’s The Great Gatsby, beginning performances at the Broadway Theatre on December 5. He succeeds Ryan McCartan in the role, who will play his final performance on December 4.

For his Broadway debut performance as Fiyero in Wicked, Klena earned a 2014 Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite Replacement. He won the same award in 2023 for playing Christian in Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Klena's additional Broadway credits include The Bridges of Madison County, Anastasia and Jagged Little Pill, for which he earned a Tony nomination. Klena’s screen credits include Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Code and HBO’s Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. In 2025, Klena began playing as an entertainment player and pitcher for the Savannah Bananas Banana Ball Championship League baseball team. At the conclusion of Klena's Broadway engagement on March 14, 2027, he will return to the Savannah Bananas for the 2027 season.

The Great Gatsby currently stars China Anne McClain as Daisy Buchanan, with Corbin Bleu as Nick Carraway, Naturi Naughton-Lewis as Jordan Baker, Max Monnig as Tom Buchanan, Chilina Kennedy as Myrtle Wilson, Charlie Pollock as George Wilson and Eric Anderson as Meyer Wolfsheim.

An adaptation of the great American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby features music and lyrics by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen and a book by Kait Kerrigan. The musical is directed by Marc Bruni and choreographed by Dominique Kelley.

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