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Backstage at The Great Gatsby

Jan 28, 2026

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"It's funny, I think my Gatsby changes more depending on who the Nick is than who the Daisy is. The Nick and Gatsby relationship is a lot more up for interpretation and nuanced. I am very fluid with my interpretation. It changes all the time and I'm always trying new things," Jeremy Jordan says of his performance. "It's cool because people give me the leeway to play with it and to continue finding new colors every show."

"It's maybe not the best choice to be honest with you, right before going on stage. I was like, why does my throat hurt? Oh, because I'm ugly crying in my dressing room," Jeremy Jordan (Jay Gatsby) says of watching The Pitt backstage.

"I do this for every show that I'm in. I make a Polaroid wall of all of my guests and anybody who comes to the dressing room. When I leave, I make copies so I can leave them with the company," says Aisha Jackson, who plays Daisy Buchanan. "I got upgraded, because Ryan McCartan bought me this one. It's cool because it's digital, so I can easily make copies."

"'Nothing to prove, only to share'—just to remind me. I'm big on words of affirmation," says Aisha Jackson of the notes on her dressing room mirror.

"I have Black art everywhere in here, because it makes me happy," says Aisha Jackson.

"I have a different vibe in every dressing room," Aisha Jackson says. (The Great Gatsby is her seventh Broadway show.) "But Broadway Bear goes to every dressing room. He gets mementos from every show that he's been in. People make him bracelets. This boa is from Jenn Simard!"

Aisha Jackson plays Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby on Broadway.

"If you think about the choreo and some of the styles in the show, we have moments of a contemporary nature. I was like, 'Where's the center of the venn diagram for Tom in all of this?' And I just thought about wealthy frat boys. We all know those guys," Austin Colby says of playing the villain.

"My character's kind of an obnoxious wealthy man, so that was my inspiration," Austin Colby (Tom Buchanan) says of his dressing room aesthetic. "In his study with his leather-bound books."

"I'm very much a creature of habit and I like to listen to the same thing over and over," says Linedy Genao, who plays Myrtle Wilson. "I listen to this playlist on Spotify called Café con Leche. After that, I'll put on whatever I'm in the mood for, whether it's bachata, merengue, salsa, hip-hop, R&B, reggaeton."

"The vocals are really challenging," Linedy Genao says of the role of Myrtle. "I'll do a vocal warm-up and a physical warm-up—I take it a little easy because 'Second-Hand Suit' is a little bit of a warm-up before my big final song."

"My favorite part of playing Myrtle is how it challenges me every day. It terrifies me, and I think that's a good thing because I'm not bored, I'm not complacent," says Linedy Genao.

"I am a creature of habit. I eat the same thing for breakfast every day, and I have for the last eight years," says Michael Maliakel, who plays Nick Carraway.

Michael Maliakel plays Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby on Broadway.

"Usually on two-show days I have the little one here with me," says Samantha Pauly (Jordan Baker) of her dog Scampi. "Everybody loves him. I take him out to stage door and nobody gives a shit about me—and honestly that's fine. He's an icon."

Samantha Pauly plays Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby on Broadway.

"I've never been a huge fan of long runs, but there's something about this one that I really enjoy. Good company, there's enough in the role that's challenging acting-wise, there's fresh energy all the time, which is really fun. When Linedy came in, that radically changed my performance," says Charlie Pollock, who plays George Wilson.

"My kids realized I didn't have a blanket, so they made me a family quilt. It has pictures of the family on it. Isn't that cute? They're sweet to me." Charlie Pollock shows off his newest dressing room addition.

"I read and I drink my coffee," says Eric Anderson of his pre-show routine. Anderson originated the role of Meyer Wolfsheim.

"I try to keep it on the level," Eric Anderson says of his Gatsby-esque dressing room.

"I did the Seoul production and now I'm here," says swing Drew Lake. "We were there for about six months. It was really, really cool."

"We clocked like 50 changes between our version and the Seoul version—slightly different, but similar enough. Some choreography is different, depth of the stage is different too," swing Drew Lake shares.

"We have good spirits going on here. We're so lucky," says ensemble member Jessica Mallare White, who's been in the show for a year.

"We all do this ritual—we all grab hands in a circle and say, 'My feet are in the earth, my head is in the heavens and everything in between is bliss,'" Jessica Mallare White explains of the company's backstage tradition before the show begins.

Ensemble member Alexis Hasbrouck gets giggly backstage.

"I've been here since day one," says ensemble member Mariah Reives.

Sour gummy worms and white cheddar Cheez-Its are backstage musts for ensemble member Mariah Reives.

"I can't believe it's been a year. It's wild—almost 400 shows," says ensemble member Alexis Hasbrouck of her time with the show. "Sometimes I feel like I just got here, and sometimes I'm like, 'I've been here forever.'"

"I bedazzled my Gatsby book!" Ensemble member Alexis Hasbrouck shows off her dressing room decor.

"I have lots of Wicked things, lots of photos," says ensemble member Kyla Stone, who also plays Mrs. McKee and covers the role of Daisy. "I'm a Glinda. Let us be glad, let us be grateful."

"I have things from almost every show I've done. I have a little Barry Manilow from Harmony, because he gave us little figures of himself," ensemble member Kyla Stone says of her trinkets and treasures.

Swing Haley Fish holds on to her beloved capybara, which she was gifted during a Jellycat exchange among the female ensemble members.

"Maybe because I've been doing a show beat forever, but at least for this show, it's pretty low-key," says swing Haley Fish. "I was Rumpleteazer in Cats—it was my Broadway debut—and I had orange and yellow coming out of my pores for months after that show closed. I'll take a pretty girl show beat any day."

"It's a communal rubber band ball, since we opened," says swing and dance captain Kurt Csolak. "This is nearly two years of mic rubber bands. And it's heavy," ensemble member Dan Rosales adds.

"I got my Spanish step-by-step to brush up on all my conjugations," says Dan Rosales, who originated the role of Mr. McKee and covers the roles of Nick Carraway and George Wilson. He also serves as the company's fight captain.

"I'm filling in, so I'm here for a couple months," says swing Mike Schwitter. "Everyone's been great. I learned three tracks in the first two weeks. It's been going well."

"I have a competing rubber band ball over here. It's not nearly as big, but it's more colorful," says ensemble member Preston Taylor, who also plays the Cop and covers the roles of Tom and Wolfsheim.

"I don't know if this looks like I work hard or I'm hardly working," Alex Prakken laughs. "I'm a swing, so I spend a lot of time offstage, and one of my side jobs is I review video games."

"This is part of getting ready." Ensemble member Curtis Holland grins at the camera after finishing a shave.

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