Corbin Bleu on The Great Gatsby, His Broadway Career and Finding Purpose Onstage

Stars are aligning for Corbin Bleu, who is roaring on in his fifth Broadway production as Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby. Bleu originated the role in the West End production at the London Coliseum, making his London stage debut and subsequently earning an Olivier Award nomination. In conversation with Broadway.com, the 37-year-old actor shares what most attracted him to the part, and reveals his connection to F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel.

The High School Musical alum also reflects on his 15-year Broadway career, from his life-altering debut in In the Heights as Usnavi, to the physical demands of Kiss Me, Kate and his history-making turn as Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors off-Broadway. Read on for Bleu's insight into the surprising similarities and differences between himself and the character of Nick Carraway, plus his proudest moments and the insatiable curiosity that keeps him going.

Why did you decide to return to Broadway in The Great Gatsby?
I loved my experience in London with the show. One of the most immediate differences that I felt is, of course, audiences. American audiences definitely tend to be a bit more vocal, whereas London audiences are more polite. I was very curious, especially having been in front of New York audiences for the majority of my theater career, to feel what this show felt like in front of New York audiences.

How has it felt so far?
It's been great. This show is such a party, at least until it takes a left turn and drives off a cliff. But the whole front half really is veiled by this opulent, massive party. It's exciting. This show has also garnered a demographic of young audiences, specifically Gen Zers, and it's really fun to be able to experience their zeal.

What attracted you to the role of Nick Carraway?
This project came about initially because Marc Bruni, the director, we had worked together in a production of Singin' in the Rain at The Muny in St. Louis. I played Don Lockwood; obviously, Nick Carraway is very different, but Mark had suggested me. I've been a big fan of the novel since I first read it in middle school—I actually own an original publication, that's how much of a fan of it that I am. So I don't think that it was necessarily even the role of Nick at the very beginning, as much as just the idea of being a part of a production of The Great Gatsby. After I received the offer for the role, I saw the production here in New York and I felt like I knew what I could do with the role. What maybe most attracted me to it was how different it is from the majority of the roles that I've played thus far.

Can you relate to the character at all?
I definitely relate to Nick in lots of ways. He is searching for purpose. That's how he finds himself in West Egg to begin with, coming from Minnesota. I think the search for purpose is something that all of us humans go through. He does learn the hard way, however, that purpose should not be sought through trying to garner wealth or status. What we all are first attracted to in The Great Gatsby is the parties and the mystery and intrigue of what Jay Gatsby is. And that's exactly what Nick is drawn to. I think that in a way, Nick finds Gatsby's journey towards all of this noble, because it's not just for the sake of wealth and power—it's all for love. But the problem is that Daisy isn't necessarily in it for the same intentions. Daisy is a material girl living in a material world. Nick is a Midwestern good guy, has his morals and is buttoned up a little tight. Once he finally starts to drink the Kool-Aid and let loose, that's when all hell breaks loose. And he ends this story pretty broken.

Very true.
I feel like anybody alive right now with their eyes open can definitely experience a sense of being jaded. However, I do find that in my own personal search for a sense of purpose, we have the ability to influence and to change and to spread positivity. Nick is unable to make those changes, because he's really just along for the ride. That's probably the biggest difference between him and I, is I've always wanted to try to be a leader as much as I can, whereas he is truly just a voyeur.

Do you have a favorite song or moment in the show?
Like I said, the show starts at this very high, exciting level and then continues to rise. And then once it takes that turn, it's a snowball down into the depths. For me, the whole front half is really fun, specifically "Roaring On." It's the opening number, it's right off the top, and it's the most exciting and positive that I get to be for the entire show, so it's the most fun to do. There's the most potential that is there for Nick at that point, because the world is open, and even though he's experienced this sense of malaise coming off of the war, he now finds himself in New York with all of the excitement of the Jazz Era surrounding him.

What’s it like working with Samantha Pauly as Jordan Baker?
It's fantastic. In London, I became very close with my castmates. We developed a rapport and chemistry and a certain rhythm and cadence with dialogue and even backstory. Coming out here, a wonderful part of the creative team for this show is that they are very open to giving the actors room for interpretation. With that being said, you do have very different reads. So my experience, not just with Sam, but with everyone within this cast is very different. And because as I said, Nick is such a voyeur, he just goes with the wind wherever it may take him. I am very reliant on my fellow castmates. He's not the one in the driver's seat. He doesn't have a lot of agency himself. So however my fellow actors play their characters really does determine my Nick. It's been a very fun journey as an actor to just have to listen and react. You always listen and react, but I think it stands even truer for playing Nick, and now playing it with just such a different cast.

In your experience, what are some of the challenges of replacing a role versus originating?
My first couple of Broadway shows I replaced, and what is really nice about it is that you get to watch someone else's work and you can kind of cherry-pick. You can go, "Oh, wow, that's really cool. I'm going to steal that. I know that works and I feel like I can do that. That's something that they do really well, but I think that I might do something different here." It helps to be able to have the bird's eye view of seeing the show already and seeing what the audiences react to. You do get a little bit of an advantage there. However, when it comes to originating, you get to be in that rehearsal room with everyone. Doing The Great Gatsby, having done it in London and now doing it in New York, having originated it and now replacing, I've never had the experience of doing both within the same production. I'm learning a lot and I really did enjoy getting to be in the rehearsal room with everyone in London, because I feel like we built something unique to our production. Now coming into it here, I am finding that I need to mold myself a bit more into what the energy of this production is, but I feel like it's a great skill that I'm having to hone in on.

The Great Gatsby is celebrating its second anniversary on Broadway. What do you think keeps people coming back?
I will give some props to our marketing team, I think that they have 100% tapped into the social media realm of understanding this generation and how to reach them in terms of marketing a Broadway show. But also, who doesn't want to go to a Gatsby party? And the show does it really well. It has all of the bells and whistles, and it is a feast for the eyes. Just the name itself of The Great Gatsby, it's very recognizable for tourists, for people that are coming in that have never seen a Broadway show, or anybody that wants to see a real feat of set design and costumes. It is some of the most beautiful set design that I've ever been a part of and ever seen. All the projections and the moving sliders, it's so gorgeous to look at, and that's a show within itself.

In the Heights is returning, this time to New York City Center. 15 years later, can you reflect on making your debut as Usnavi?
In the Heights and Usnavi, for my career, was a perfect moment of the planets aligning. I wanted to be on Broadway since I was a kid, and I think it was my film and television career that actually gave me the opportunity to be able to do so. But even just the moment in time; I was working on a television show that was canceled, but it was shooting here in New York. I was in this location at the right time, and because I wasn't working on set the day afterward, I ended up going and doing this one-off cabaret show at the Town Hall that the producers from In the Heights came to. It really was this perfect chain of events. I had seen the show already and was such a fan. Prior to In the Heights, I actually was offered another Broadway role that I ultimately ended up turning down, because it wasn't the right fit. I remember sitting in the theater, seeing In the Heights—I sat in the fourth row with my dad—and at intermission I just looked at him and said, "This. If I'm going to do it, it has to be something like this." And lo and behold, that ended up being what it was. It really was one of the proudest moments of my career. While I had been in theater since I was a kid and working professionally since two-years-old—I worked off-Broadway when I was six—people only really know what's right in front of them, and my career in Disney had eclipsed so much of my other work. When it was announced that I was going to be taking over that role, there was a bit of an uproar within the community of like, "Who is this Disney kid?" And again, it was one of my proudest moments because after the actual debut, it was received so well. That viewpoint ended up being turned 180 and became the beginning of my now 15-year Broadway career.

In what ways have you grown or changed as a performer between then and now?
That is a Mary Poppins bag of an answer, because I really do feel that one of the main tenets of my career and my life is to continue to educate myself and continue to grow. Over the course of all this time, there's a lot that has changed and a lot that I feel like I have learned in how I approach not only my work, but how I approach the industry and how I approach relationships and life. I hope to be growing and learning, and I should be growing and learning, until the day that I die.

Looking back, what would you tell your younger self?
Read more. Specifically nonfiction. I didn't read enough when I was younger, but the thing that I was always attracted to was fiction, specifically fantasy. And I think that there's a place for that and I would never not want that in my life, but our job as actors and performers is to have life experience and to step into the lives and minds of many other people. The only way to do that is actually to experience the lives and minds of other people in real life.

What is your process like as an actor? On show days, how important is your routine?
It depends on the show. For instance, when I did Kiss Me, Kate, I lived like a monk, because of the amount of physical energy that was required to do that show. All I would do is finish the show and sleep, and I would sleep all day the next day, because it just took everything out of me. But what's really great about doing this particular track is it's more of a mental game, and I actually have the opportunity to explore more in the city, go see other shows. My priority is still to take care of myself and my instrument. I cook 90% of my meals. I only drink water and coffee. I have my coffee in the morning, I'll have some tea. I don't drink alcohol at all, I don't drink any soda. I don't even do much juice. I eat very clean. I go to the gym, work out. I get my sleep and I find ways to balance the work and the playtime. It all feels and seems like simple things to prioritize, but it makes a world of difference.

Have you had the opportunity to see anything recently on or off-Broadway?
I saw Mexodus. F***ing loved it. That was awesome. Oh my god, so good. The two of them [writers and stars Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson] are ridiculous. It's a sickening display of talent. I also saw Daniel Radcliffe in Every Brilliant Thing. Just beautiful. That's a show I would love to do. I am such a fan and admirer of him. As a child actor in something major within the pop culture zeitgeist, he has just transformed himself and his career, and he's definitely someone that inspires me.

Down the line, what are some of your other dream Broadway roles?
That's definitely one of them. One that I've said for a long time, and I still hold true to this, I would love to play Burrs in the Lippa version of The Wild Party. Not now, but let's say 15 years from now, I want to play Sweeney [Todd]. I'm 37, and what I love about what we do is that as long as our mind is still capable, we can do this all the way up until the end. But I do recognize that there will come a time where I might not be able to physically take on the big dance role. So while I'm still very capable of doing so, I plan on getting all my big dance roles in.

Do you have a favorite book you’d love to see adapted into a musical?
I am not much of a religious person anymore, but I have always had a morbid fascination with depictions of hell, and Dante's Inferno was always one of my favorite reads. I think that that would make an awesome show.

In Little Shop of Horrors, you became the production’s first Black actor to play Seymour. Now, Jordan Fisher is in the role. Can you speak to what that means to you?
I definitely feel that there is an importance to that and at the same time, I don't want there to be an importance to that. I think that's what we're working towards. There have been multiple roles now in my career: Holiday Inn, The New Irving Berlin Musical, playing a role that was originated by Fred Astaire. Same thing with the [Singin' in the Rain] role originated by Gene Kelly and playing Jesus in Godspell. There have been plenty of other people that have paved the way before me, but I'm happy to be able to hold that title specifically for Little Shop. It's something in the moment that we all were celebrating. But my hope is to continue to move into a place where that isn't even something that needs to be discussed.

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