Kayla Pecchioni

BROADWAY SINGER, DANCER & ACTOR

4+ years on broadway

A joyful Broadway performer in a vibrant pink tutu and orange crop top strikes a dynamic dance pose on a New York City sidewalk, holding onto a lamppost with one arm extended toward the sky.

Kayla Pecchioni has spent the last 4+ years opening one show after another, making a name for herself as a cover to some of Broadway’s most iconic leading ladies.

She’s currently in her second year with The Great Gatsby at the Broadway Theatre as part of the Original Broadway Cast, where she plays Mrs. McKee and, from time to time, steps into the role of Daisy Buchanan.

Before Gatsby, Kayla opened and closed the Tony-winning Some Like It Hot as an original cast swing and understudy for Sugar Kane. Her Broadway debut came earlier that same year in Paradise Square, playing Blessed and covering the Tony-winning lead role of Nellie.

Her journey in New York began just days after she left her beloved hometown in Kentucky—booking her first NYC job as a vocalist at Radio City Music Hall only three days after arriving. Soon after, she went on to star as Nabulungi in The Book of Mormon, a role she played on tour for over a year.

Off the stage, Kayla is also an educator and mentor, having taught with The Broadway Collective, Broadway Dance Center’s Guest Artist Series, and Broadway Imagined—programs dedicated to nurturing the next generation of theatre artists through discipline, joy, and heart.

Today, she stands as a dynamic presence on Broadway—equal parts leading lady, ensemble powerhouse, and a captivating artist to watch.

Headshot & Resumé

Kayla Pecchioni’s professional Broadway résumé including theatre, TV, and special skills.

Kayla Pecchioni performs onstage as Mrs. McKee in The Great Gatsby on Broadway, lounging in a vintage armchair and drinking from a glass, dressed in a 1920s-inspired lavender costume with thigh-high stockings.

NewS & Updates

Kayla is currently performing in The Great Gatsby on Broadway at The Broadway Theatre, where she appears in the ensemble as Mrs. McKee and understudies Daisy Buchanan. Join her Instagram channel for updates on upcoming Daisy performances here.

Kayla Pecchioni poses at the Kentucky Derby in a glittering gold dress, black opera gloves, and a wide-brim hat, standing confidently in front of Churchill Downs.

To kick off the 150th Kentucky Derby, Kayla returned to her hometown of Louisville to perform live at Churchill Downs. With this year’s Gatsby-inspired theme, she proudly repped The Great Gatsby on Broadway, performing “Absolute Rose” from the broadway show.

Kayla Pecchioni sings the national anthem at a Baltimore Orioles game, wearing a white Orioles jersey and holding a microphone on the field as the crowd looks on.

In a whirlwind chain of events she couldn’t have scripted if she tried, Kayla was invited to sing the national anthem for the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards—just days after a viral interview unexpectedly linked her Broadway work to the team. Take a look here.

The Great Gatsby Daisy understudy Kayla Pecchioni poses in Tony-winning vintage-style makeup and costume, giving a confident, knowing smile backstage—captured for BroadwayWorld’s “Understudy Survival Guide” series.

“This is why we come to the theatre.” Watch Kayla’s interview with BroadwayWorld in ‘broadwayworld’s Declassified Understudy Survival Guide’, where she opens up about the unpredictability, pressure, and pride that come with being a Broadway understudy.

 Watch Kayla and the Original Broadway Cast of The Great Gatsby perform “Roaring On” live on Good Morning America.

Kayla Pecchioni and her husband Colin Barkell embrace on their wedding day, wrapped in her flowing veil by a lake, in a portrait featured in The New York Times Vows section (2023).

A hairless cat named Paw McCatney. A shared love of Nickelback. A Tony Awards watch party. From that unexpected beginning to a hometown wedding surrounded by castmates and family, Kayla Pecchioni and Colin Barkell’s love story is anything but ordinary. “Everything naturally fell into place,” Pecchioni said in her interview with The New York Times. “That’s the theme of our whole relationship.”