According to Deadline, Derek Klena will take on the title role in *The Great Gatsby* at the Broadway Theatre beginning December 5, 2026, playing the part through March 14, 2027.

Producer Chunsoo Shin announced the casting, and New York Theatre Guide notes Klena will replace current star Ryan McCartan, who plays his final performance December 4.

Klena previously originated the role of Nick Healy in *Jagged Little Pill*, earning a Tony nomination, and has starred as Christian in *Moulin Rouge!*, Fiyero in *Wicked*, and Dmitry in *Anastasia*.

The development that theatergoers and baseball fans alike are talking about, as Deadline frames it, is Klena's best-of-both-worlds life: he spent the 2026 season as a pitcher — and singer — for the Savannah Bananas, the exhibition team whose 'Banana Ball' Deadline compares to what the Harlem Globetrotters were to basketball.

WSAV, reported by AOL, confirms Klena will return to the baseball diamond for the Bananas' 2027 season once his Gatsby run concludes in March, making this a deliberate seasonal swap between the Great White Way and the ballpark.

Both Deadline and New York Theatre Guide give matching dates — December 5 through March 14, 2027 — and list the continuing cast: China Anne McClain as Daisy Buchanan, Corbin Bleu as Nick Carraway, Naturi Naughton-Lewis as Jordan Baker, Max Monnig as Tom Buchanan, Linedy Genao as Myrtle Wilson, Charlie Pollock as George Wilson, and original cast member Eric Anderson as Wolfsheim.

New York Theatre Guide adds that Klena actually replaces original Gatsby star Jeremy Jordan in the title role lineage, with McCartan having been the interim star.

Deadline reports that since opening at the Broadway Theatre on April 25, 2024 — after previews began March 29 — the musical has sold over 1 million tickets, according to producers.

The production, with music and lyrics by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen and a book adapted by Kait Kerrigan, has also launched in London's West End, Seoul, and on a U.S. national tour. Marc Bruni directs and Dominique Kelley choreographs.

The revolving door of marquee Gatsbys — Jordan, McCartan, now Klena — shows how the show sustains sales through star casting.

Deadline reports the musical is currently selling tickets through June 6, 2027, and notes there is no word yet on who will take over the Gatsby role when Klena departs in March to rejoin the Bananas for their 2027 season.

Klena also has screen credits including *Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin*, *City on a Hill*, *Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt*, *Quantico*, and *Blue Bloods*, per Deadline.

For now, fans of both Banana Ball and Broadway get a winter window to catch the two-sport star as Fitzgerald's Jazz Age millionaire.