“She’s the belle of the ball, baby!” Aisha Jackson exclaims, describing the character of Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsy. “And she knows how to dress down.”
Jackson has been sitting demurely in Daisy’s Tony Award-winning costumes in Broadway’s The Great Gatsby at the Broadway Theatre since June 2025. Though Jackson just announced her departure from the show, she views the role as an answered prayer. As she enters her final weeks of performances, Jackson is reflecting on the complexities of the socialite.
“Daisy is witty,” Jackson says. “She has a few little spicy lines that make me feel like she’s not as soft as she might present. She’s continuously poking fun at [her husband] Tom, calling him a brute.” At this, Jackson begins to sway, moving her arms. “She has this very sexy, powerful, feminine energy to her. I love to tap into that each day.”
To learn which icons appear on Jackson’s dressing room wall of Black Excellence, and why she and Tony winner Joaquina Kalunkango are dying to revive Aida, watch the episode of Playbill's Getting Ready below.
Jackson’s energy feels boundless. Joking that she “moonlights” as a florist (having gifted the Getting Ready table with a beautiful bouquet of red roses), Jackson has diagnosed herself with “swing brain,” meaning she has the fierce skill and sharp intellect necessary to “learn multiple parts and keep them aligned.” Jackson made her Broadway debut in Beautiful the Carole King Musical, covering six roles. At one performance, midway through Act One, Jackson truly got to flex her muscle memory. Pulled from the back row of the Sondheim by her stage manager and pinned into her wig, Jackson took to the stage right on cue as Janelle, hitting her entrance notes to “Will You Still Love Me” to an unassuming audience.
“I already had on makeup!” Jackson says, relief in her voice.
Jackson then moved from swinging to becoming a standby to, in 2023, originating her first lead role in a Broadway show: Snow White in Once Upon a One More Time, the Britney Spears jukebox musical in which Disney princesses experienced a feminist awakening. Jackson had previously broken ground (making herstory) as the first Black performer to play Anna in Frozen on Broadway. Now having added Daisy to her roster of re-imaginings, Jackson reflects on what it means reinterpret characters audiences think they know well.
“I get to show the relatability of these characters that transcends race,” Jackson says. “And I get to add my Blackness as well. I remember going on for Anna the first time, and this little girl screamed when I came out, ‘Mommy, she looks like me!’”
Ever guided by her steady faith, Jackson smiles, shining with divine confidence. “I have always prayed that I get to use my gifts to inspire others,” Jacksons says. “And to continue to make space for Black women to shine on Broadway. All those opportunities have allowed me to do that and to open peoples’ minds.”
Jackson aspires to utilize yet another of her talents—producing at her Love and Light Productions—to give flowers to Black performers paving the way. Inspired to be the change after noticing a lack of Black leadership at most Black History Month concerts, Jackson dreams of widening the spotlight to include crew members of color and Black musicians, playwrights, and choreographers. “We’re going to keep it going,” Jackson says of Love and Light Production’s concerts, “for our Black community. Make them feel seen and represented, uplifted, safe, and heard.”
Most recently, Jackson partnered with Darkness RISING Project to co-produce a Black Arts & Mental Health Block Party, which featured performances by Kyle Ramar Freeman and the Sing Harlem Choir. Through her annual Black Excellence on Broadway concerts, Jackson has invited the current generation of Black Broadway performers to honor the prior generation, with concerts dedicated to Lillias White, Norm Lewis, LaChanze, and Chuck Cooper.
Every night before The Great Gatsby, Jackson says a quick prayer. The strength of the spirit eliminates her doubt and anxiety. “I’m walking in purpose,” Jackson says assuredly. “In a calling that is greater than me.”
Jeremy Jordan, Aisha Jackson, and company of The Great Gatsby
Aisha Jackson and Jeremy Jordan in The Great Gatsby
Aisha Jackson and Jeremy Jordan in The Great Gatsby
Jeremy Jordan and Aisha Jackson in The Great Gatsby
Jeremy Jordan in The Great Gatsby
Jeremy Jordan and Aisha Jackson in The Great Gatsby
Jeremy Jordan and Aisha Jackson in The Great Gatsby
Jeremy Jordan and Aisha Jackson in The Great Gatsby
Jeremy Jordan and Aisha Jackson in The Great Gatsby
