Jake David Smith and Senzel Ahmady Will Lead North American Tour of THE GREAT GATSBY

The North American Tour of THE GREAT GATSBY will star stage veterans Jake David Smith as Jay Gatsby and Senzel Ahmady as Daisy Buchanan.  Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

The production will launch in Baltimore, MD at The Hippodrome Theatre on January 31, 2026, before roaring on to cities across North America, including Dallas, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, and the recently announced 5-week engagement in Toronto. More tour stops will be announced shortly. 

“Jake David Smith is that rare leading man who marries effortless charisma with a knockout voice, and he’s stepping into Jay Gatsby with the kind of vocal power and emotional range that will blow audiences away—these are iconic shoes to fill, and Jake is poised to make them his own. Senzel Ahmady lit up Seoul as Daisy Buchanan; as The Korea Post noted, she ‘brings a new dimension to Daisy Buchanan,’ capturing the character’s inner conflicts with vulnerability and strength. Now she’s taking that star turn across the country, and audiences are going to feel it the moment she steps onstage.” — Chunsoo Shin, Producer of THE GREAT GATSBY.

About The Great Gatsby

Set in the Roaring Twenties, the story follows eccentric and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby, who will stop at nothing in the pursuit of the lost love of his youth, Daisy Buchanan. Through its fascinatingly nuanced characters – driven by complex inner lives, erupting with extravagance and longing – this epic tale has always been destined to sing. Now, it comes to life across North American stages, with a grand, Tony Award-winning production design befitting the 21st century.

THE GREAT GATSBY features music & lyrics by Tony Award nominees Jason Howland (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Little Women) and Nathan Tysen (Paradise Square), a book by Jonathan Larson Grant winner Kait Kerrigan (The Mad Ones), and is staged by award-winning director Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and choreographer Dominique Kelley (“Mariah’s Magical Christmas Special”, “Dancing with the Stars”). 

THE GREAT GATSBY features Drama Desk Award-winning scenic & projection design by Paul Tate de Poo III (Spamalot, Tommy at The Kennedy Center), Tony Award-winning costume design by Linda Cho (Anastasia, A Gentleman’s Guide...), sound design by Tony Award winner Brian Ronan (Beautiful, The Book of Mormon), lighting design by Cory Pattak (Spamalot), and hair & wig design by Drama Desk Award winner Charles G. LaPointe (The Cher Show, Spongebob Squarepants) & Rachael Geier. Arrangements and Music Supervision are by Jason Howland, Orchestrations are by Jason Howland and Kim Scharnberg (Jekyll & Hyde), and casting is by Stephen Kopel and Jillian Cimini at C12 Casting (Gutenberg, & Juliet).

The Broadway production of THE GREAT GATSBY began previews at The Broadway Theatre on Friday, March 29, 2024, and opened on Thursday, April 25, 2024, where it continues to thrill audiences and break box office records. The Broadway production followed a record-breaking world-premiere engagement at Paper Mill Playhouse, where it was the highest grossing show in that organization’s history.

THE GREAT GATSBY made its West End debut at the London Coliseum, which began previews on April 11, 2025, and officially opened on April 24 and closed on September 7. The successful Seoul production recently finished its residency at the GS Arts Center in the Gangnam District of Seoul.

One of the most popular novels of all time, The Great Gatsby is a New York Times and USA Today perennial best seller. It has sold over 30 million copies worldwide since its release in 1925 and continues to sell over 500,000 per year. The novel has been translated into over 42 different languages, and has been adapted into television shows, radio plays, video games, and multiple films – including the blockbuster Baz Luhrmann feature film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Cast Biographies

Jake David Smith (Jay Gatsby) is thrilled to bring the iconic role of Jay Gatsby to audiences across the country. National Tour: Les Misérables (Marius) Broadway: Frozen (Ensemble, u/s Hans). Off-Broadway and Streaming on Amazon Prime: Between the Lines (Prince Oliver). Select Regional Credits: West Side Story (Tony), World Premier of Dark of the Moon (John), Regional Premier of Escape to Margaritaville (Tully). Elon Musical Theatre, BFA Musical Theatre. 

Senzel Ahmady (Daisy Buchanan) is paralyzed with happiness to be bringing Daisy around the country for the first time! She most recently spent time outside of the country playing Daisy in the original Seoul production of The Great Gatsby. Other credits include Aladdin National Tour (Jasmine) and The Prince of Egypt at OFC Creations (Tzipporah).

The Great Gatsby Tour Dates:

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