The first leg of the North American tour of the Broadway musical The Great Gatsby has found its leading couple.

Jake David Smith will star as Jay Gatsby, with Senzel Ahmady (who starred in the recent Korean production) returning to the role of Daisy Buchanan. 

Said producer Chunsoo Shin, “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.”

Additional casting will be announced at a later date. 

The tour of the musical, based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, will kick off January 31–February 7, 2026, at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland. The production will subsequently play engagements in Louisville, Kentucky; Dallas, Texas; Houston, Texas; Austin, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; New Orleans, Louisiana; Greenville, South Carolina; Toledo, Ohio; Appleton, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; Durham, North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Cleveland, Ohio; Boston, Massachusetts; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Madison, Wisconsin; and Charlotte, North Carolina. For details, visit BroadwayGatsby.com/Tour.

The show is also continuing its run on Broadway at the Broadway Theatre.

Based on the Fitzgerald novel, The Great Gatsby features music and lyrics by Nathan Tysen (Paradise Square) and Jason Howland (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and a book by Jonathan Larson Grant winner Kait Kerrigan (The Mad Ones). Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) directs with choreography by Dominique Kelley (Mariah’s Magical Christmas Special).

Set in the Roaring '20s, the musical follows eccentric millionaire Jay Gatsby, who will stop at nothing in his tragic pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman whom he loved in his youth.

Check out The Great Gatsby merchandise in the Playbill Store.

The Great Gatsby also has scenic and projection design by Paul Tate de Poo III, costume design by Linda Cho, sound design by Brian Ronan, lighting design by Cory Pattak, and hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe and Rachael Geier.

Arrangements are by Jason Howland with orchestrations by Howland and Kim Scharnberg and music direction by Daniel Edmonds. The music producer is Grammy winner Billy Jay Stein for Strike Audio. Casting is by Stephen Kopel and Jillian Cimini at C12 Casting, and the production stage manager is Brian Bogin.

The new musical won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Musical.

The North American tour is produced by Chunsoo Shin, OD Company, and NETworks Presentations. Mark Shacket and Trinity Wheeler serve as executive producers for the production. Worldwide management is handled by Foresight Theatrical.