Noah J. Ricketts

Broadway in Chicago presented a massive summer concert once again in Millennium Park on August 11. The audience eagerly lined up down the block to enter the Jay Pritzker Pavilion for a taste of current and upcoming programming from the musical-focused organization.

Some of the productions showcased were based on popular films like Elf the Musical, Water for Elephants and The Outsiders.

One of the Tony Award-winning musicals featured that evening, The Great Gatsby, tours to the Windy City from April 21 to May 3, 2026. The Tony Award-winning musical version was made for the stage in 2023 and is based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.

Out and proud singer Noah J. Ricketts played Nick Carraway on Broadway until March of this year and flew into town to promote the tour. Ricketts hails from Louisville, Kentucky and now resides in New York. The Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music graduate hit the ground running on The Great White Way with multiple roles in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. He then replaced Kristoff in Frozen after being part of the ensemble and understudying the hero.

The talented performer appeared in Showtime’s Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated queer mini series Fellow Travelers as Frankie Hines. He has also snatched up other brief television roles in Summoning Sylvia, American Gods and High Fidelity.

Noah talked backstage about his blossoming career and growth through musical theater.   

JN: (Jerry Nunn) Start off with your background.

NJR: (Noah J. Ricketts) I was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. I went to high school in Interlochen, Michigan and then went to college in Cincinnati, Ohio. I eventually made my way to New York, where I have been ever since.

JN: Do you ever go back to Kentucky?

NJR: I usually go once a year to visit family, but I am fast-paced, so I pump the brakes when I go.

JN: Did you like the theater as a kid?

NJR: I was into sports growing up, so I played soccer. I was on a traveling team to compete. One summer, I got on my friend’s skateboard and broke my wrist. When I couldn’t go to my usual soccer camp, I went to theater camp instead. It was a place called Broadway Bootcamp. That was where I got the experience to do musicals for the first time. Literally ever since then, I have never stopped.

JN: I hear a choir sing in your voice. Were you raised in the church?

NJR: When I was younger, I definitely was. I was shipped around by churches to sing solos. When Sister Act came out with a cover song of “Oh Happy Day,” they made me sing the high part of “When Jesus washed” every time around the town!

JN: After arriving in New York, what was your journey after that?

NJR: So I get to New York and I arrive there with very little money. I had a school showcase, so I ended up attending the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, also known as CCM. I studied musical theater.

When I got out, they brought us all to New York to do a big showcase in front of all of the agents. I got an agent out of it and I was shipped out to auditions right away.

My first audition for Cinderella on Broadway. I didn’t get it. My second audition was for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and I ended up getting it. I started on Broadway about two weeks after moving to New York. Now that it’s 11 years later, I am still there.

JN: That is the dream.

NJR: Yes, it is.

JN: Aren’t you singing a selection from The Great Gatsby today?

NJR: Yes. I am singing a number called “Past Is Catching Up to Me.” The song is in Act Two and it revolves around Gatsby trying to woo the love of his life back after a long time. It’s an introspective moment for Gatsby where people can see inside his world. Listeners hear about his past relationship and will also see into his future with what he hopes will happen with Daisy in the end.

It’s a beautiful number with Tony Award-winning costumes onstage that sparkle and glitter. There are mind-blowing set pieces that fly in and an orchestra that can’t be defeated.

JN: The Great Gatsby is coming to Chicago next year. What can you tell ticket buyers about the show?

NJR: We are in Gatsby’s 100th year, if you can believe that. What is so amazing about the show is that the themes about class, privilege and the idea of the American dream still ring true today.

Audiences should come and question, “What is this thing we call the American dream?” They can watch it play out before them, right before their eyes.

JN: Is your run done with The Great Gatsby?

NJR: Yes. I was part of the original Broadway cast and I created the character of Nick Carraway from all of the readings and workshops out of town to Broadway.

I just concluded my first run on Broadway about four months ago. I am excited to see the show living on, not only on Broadway, but on a national tour across the United States, Seoul, South Korea and London through September 7. I am glad to see that Gatsby is a big, fat hit!

JN: Did you love the part of originating the role?

NJR: Yes, I loved it. The character of Nick has a wide-eyed optimism, so when I took on the role, I thought about how I moved to New York all of those years ago. I arrived with no money, but a dream.

That is what is so special about the character. You meet him and he has a beautiful spirit about him. By the end, he’s in a very different place after experiencing a whole summer with Gatsby and his friends.

People have to come check it out because it’s an epic journey.

JN: Kristin Chenoweth originated as Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked and many people emulated her after it. Are you flattered now that someone will be doing that to you?

NJR: Definitely. It’s also great that young actors can take on the role and make it their own as well.

JN: What are you working on next?

NJR: I am filming an independent movie right now in New York and performing my one man show across the country. I am taking a break from the eight shows a week schedule to get my body back together. Soon enough, I am sure I will be back.

JN: Have you performed the one-man show in Chicago yet?

NJR: No, I haven’t, but I hope Chicago will give me a reason to come here and do it. That would be lovely.

JN: Are you going to Sidetrack later?

NJR: Yes, I will be there for Musical Monday and wouldn’t miss it for the world.

JN: What did you learn from being on the series Fellow Travelers?

NJR: The historical facts in the show were true, but the characters and their relationships are fictionalized through all of the decades.

What I learned is how much I didn’t learn about queer culture. I had to do a lot of research to learn about queer culture starting in the ‘50s and there has been so much erasure accomplished by people since then. I had to really dig deep to know those parts of history.

That is what I am so proud of with this series. We now have a show that everyone can watch and learn from. If someone doesn’t study their history, it will inevitably repeat itself, as we are seeing unfold in real time.

I am proud to be a part of a series that has made a big impact on so many people.

JN: For the Critics Choice Celebration last year, we gave the producers of Fellow Travelers an award to bring attention to it. Matt Bomer and the gang all came to accept their award.

NJR: That is what is so special about it. We all knew that we were a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. We all show up for the events because we know something like Fellow Travelers doesn’t happen often. It was a rare thing.

JN: Have you performed at similar outdoor venues like this one?

NJR: I just did one in Salt Lake City where I sang some Disney songs. I had a run as Kristoff in Frozen on Broadway, which concluded in London, but came out on Disney+ this past June.

Sometimes I get to tap back into my childhood and sing some Disney music around the country.

JN: Do you have a favorite Disney movie?

NJR: Hercules’ music can’t be beat and I enjoy the hero’s journey. I am so happy that they put the stage version up in London this summer. Hopefully, it makes its way to Broadway soon.

JN: Is there a musical you would like to do, but haven’t done yet?

NJR: One time, I would like to be in Hamilton and experience all the hype of it, then get out of there. It’s a special show. To be a part of the monumental history of it would be amazing.

JN: Have you previously been to Chicago?

NJR: This is the first time I have been here in a long time. Chicago audiences turned it out and people went wild at Parade last night when I saw it.

JN: It was such a hard show to watch.

NJR: It’s another example of a real-life story that’s important to be told. I was so moved by the show, the music and the history itself. It’s unbelievable.

JN: I interviewed the lead, Max Chernin, who is also gay.

NJR: He was my college friend.

JN: I don’t know who had the idea to keep him onstage during the intermission, but I felt bad for him. He needed a break…

NJR: I asked him about that after the show, “What do you do up there onstage all that time?” He said, “I think about life!” [both laugh]

Follow Ricketts on Instagram @noahjrkts and subscribe for updates at broadwayinchicago.com for ticket opportunities when The Great Gatsby goes on sale.