1,000 Parties and Counting! The New Stars of THE GREAT GATSBY Celebrate a Broadway Milestone

The party is still roaring at The Great Gatsby! The hit musical recently celebrated its 1,000th Broadway performance, and BroadwayWorld caught up with the show's newest stars to mark the milestone.

Ryan McCartan, China Anne McClain, Corbin Bleu, Eric Anderson, Linedy Genao and Naturi Naughton-Lewis gathered at Bathtub Gin to chat with BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge about joining the world of Gatsby, the show's devoted fanbase, and what it means to be part of a production that has now reached four figures on Broadway.

For McCartan, who currently stars as Jay Gatsby, the milestone is particularly meaningful at a challenging moment for the industry.

"The economy of Broadway is really hard right now. And so to have a show that gets to this milestone that is new is a testament to the work that has been done at all levels of this production to keep her alive," he explained. "There were maybe a lot of people from without who never would have thought that this show could do what it's done. I think pretty much everyone from within had a lot of hope that it could."

Eric Anderson, who has been part of The Great Gatsby since its earliest stages, has had a front-row seat to the show's evolution. For him, the changing company is part of what keeps the musical—and live theatre itself—fresh.

"It's been a lot of fun to watch the cast evolve too," he said. "That's one of the beautiful things about being in a long-running show, is that you really get to see it with the same bones, but with constant different flesh. And that's one of the joys of live theater and something that I will never take for granted."

For Linedy Genao, joining the company as Myrtle has also offered an opportunity to provide the kind of representation that once inspired her. Reflecting on seeing herself represented in In the Heights, she explained why stepping into this particular role has been so meaningful.

"I will never forget what it felt like for me when I finally saw that for myself with In the Heights," she said. "And so I know what it feels [like] to be that for someone with Myrtle, because I certainly didn't see myself playing Myrtle when I first saw the show. It means everything to me."

With 1,000 Broadway performances behind it and a new group of stars keeping the party going, The Great Gatsby continues its run on the Great White Way.

Watch the full video above to hear much more from McCartan, McClain, Bleu, Anderson, Genao and Naughton-Lewis!

The Great Gatsby is running on Broadway at the Broadway Theatre.