Derek Klena Takes Over as Gatsby on Broadway from December 5

Derek Klena begins performances in the title role of Broadway's The Great Gatsby on December 5 at the Broadway Theatre. He succeeds Ryan McCartan, who plays his final performance on December 4. Broadway.com reports the swap, and the phrasing writes its own joke: Klena is trading the Bananas for the bourgeoisie.

The move has a fixed shelf life. Klena's engagement runs through March 14, 2027, after which he returns to the Savannah Bananas, the Banana Ball Championship League baseball team he joined as an entertainment player and pitcher in 2025. A Broadway lead with a contract written around a baseball calendar is, by any standard, an unusual booking.

Who is Derek Klena?

Klena is a Tony nominee (theater's top American award) with a longer résumé than the Gatsby gig might suggest. He made his Broadway debut as Fiyero in Wicked, a performance that earned him 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.

His other Broadway credits include The Bridges of Madison County, Anastasia and Jagged Little Pill, the last of which brought the Tony nomination. On screen, he has appeared in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Code and HBO's Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.

In short: a proven replacement specialist now handed a title role, which is either a promotion or a very glamorous temp job.

Who joins him on stage?

The current company of The Great Gatsby includes:

• China Anne McClain as Daisy Buchanan
• Corbin Bleu as Nick Carraway
• Naturi Naughton-Lewis as Jordan Baker
• Max Monnig as Tom Buchanan
• Chilina Kennedy in a role truncated in the source listing

No other casting changes were announced alongside Klena's arrival, so the surrounding company appears set for the December transition.

What does the scheduling tell us?

The structure of the deal is the story's most concrete fact: Klena arrives December 5, departs March 14, 2027, and resumes play with the Savannah Bananas for their 2027 season. The producers have effectively rented a leading man between baseball seasons.

For audiences, the window matters. Anyone wanting to see a Tony-nominated Christian from Moulin Rouge! take on Jay Gatsby has roughly fifteen months to do it. After that, Klena goes back to pitching, and the Broadway Theatre will need its next name above the title.