It’s opening day for the Savannah Bananas!
Before the start of this season, we got news that Broadway star Derek Klena would become a Savannah Banana. This was huge news to the Broadway community.
Who are the Savannah Bananas?
The Savannah Bananas are a world famous baseball team that puts their fans first. They have their own league with 6 teams, rules, tricks, and performances that are shown during games. They even have rules that involve fans catching foul balls, dances, and the game will never be too long because there is a 2-hour timer.
You can watch their games on YouTube and occasionally on ESPN. Every game they play on their tour is sold out and you have to enter a ticket lottery for a chance to attend.
Savannah Bananas and Disney
I got to go to one of their games last year in Anaheim and it was amazing. The game we watched was at Angels Stadium and it was Disney Day. They had a skit from Angels in the Outfield where a player dressed up as an angel (in the outfield, of course) and got the crowd to join them in waving their arms, like in the movie.
Goofy threw out the ceremonial first pitch, Mickey Mouse and the gang danced with the Savannah Bananas to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse “Hot Dog” song before a pitch, the Firefighters (the other team) did a dance to “Let’s Get Down To Business” from Mulan, and the Great Hambino from the baseball movie Sandlot (now on Disney+) made a surprise appearance as he came out to bat.
Another Disney connection for Savannah Bananas is they have a Disneyland day for the team, where the players come out to perform and celebrate. This year’s Savannah Banana Day at the park will be Thursday, March 26.
Who is Derek Klena?
Derek Klena is a Broadway star that originated roles in Anastasia and Jagged Little Pill, and also played Fiyero in Wicked! He grew up in Southern California and attended UCLA, where he walked on to the baseball team as a pitcher.
I was lucky to meet Derek when he was playing Dmitry in Anastasia on Broadway, and he gave us a backstage tour. Derek is one of the nicest people I’ve met, and we’ve been following his career since then. We were excited when he announced that he would be joining the Savannah Bananas!
Derek has two siblings, and his younger brother Dillon Klena is also in theatre. We saw him as Jack Kelly in Newsies at Moonlight Ampitheatre and he was also great!
The Announcement
On December 29, 2025, the Savannah Bananas posted a video of Derek Klena singing “Go The Distance” from Hercules with a few altered lyrics. In the video, they announced that Derek would become an entertainment player for the Savannah Bananas.
That’s it for this post! Make sure to stay toon-ed to see our next post and Go Bananas!
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