Broadway's Oh, Mary! says goodbye to its Tony-winning writer and star Cole Escola June 21, as they play their final performance. Escola began their current encore run in the show April 8 at the Lyceum Theatre, and created the role in the play's original Off-Broadway and Broadway companies.
The final performance caps off a wild moment in Escola's career, which saw the writer-comic go from semi-obscurity and small-time YouTube cult fame to becoming the toast of Broadway, not to mention making history as the first openly non-binary actor to win Best Leading Actor in a Play, for their performance as Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! Originally planned just to be an Off-Broadway summer run at the Lucille Lortel, Oh, Mary! has become an unlikely Broadway hit.
Escola's last time away from the show saw the role played by Betty Gilpin and Tituss Burgess. The latter will be back for a second go in the part beginning June 23, with two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner and current Pirates! The Penzance Musical star Jinkx Monsoon set to take over beginning August 4. And tickets are currently on sale through January 4, 2026, so we can expect more Marys in our future.
READ: Director Sam Pinkleton on the Art of Recasting Oh, Mary!
Returning alongside Escola were fellow original cast members Conrad Ricamora as Mary's Husband and James Scully as Mary's Tutor, reuniting the complete original cast. Ricamora, Scully, along with fellow originals Bianca Leigh as Mary's Chaperone and Tony Macht as Mary's Husband's Assistant, will all be in the show for Burgess' entire run, through August 2. Monsoon's cast is to be announced.
Opening night was July 11, 2024. Read the reviews for the Broadway bow here.
Oh, Mary! centers on famous First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. In Escola's demented take (or as press notes put it, "through the lens of an idiot"), Mary Todd becomes a madcap, cabaret-obsessed alcoholic.
The piece premiered at Off-Broadway's Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2024 in a run that was extended three times. The production earned two 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding New American Play and Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway play, both for Escola. The show also won the 2024 Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Play.
READ: Camp and the Art of Being Cole Escola
Rounding out the company are understudies Hannah Solow, Martin Landry, and Julian Manjerico.
2025 Tony winner Sam Pinkleton directs the Broadway run after staging the Off-Broadway premiere. His creative team includes scenic designer dots, costume designer Holly Pierson, lighting designer Cha See, composer and co-sound designer Daniel Kluger, co-sound designer Drew Levy, wig designer Leah J. Loukas, and music arranger David Dabbon. Casting is by Henry Russell Bergstein. Bryan Bauer and Ryan Patrick Kane are production stage manager and assistant stage manager, respectively.
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Cole Escola in Oh, Mary!
Cole Escola and Bianca Leigh in Oh, Mary!
Conrad Ricamora and Cole Escola in Oh, Mary!
Conrad Ricamora and Tony Macht in Oh, Mary!
Cole Escola and Conrad Ricamora in Oh, Mary!
Cole Escola and James Scully in Oh, Mary!
Conrad Ricamora, Cole Escola, and Bianca Leigh in Oh, Mary!
Tony Macht, Cole Escola, Conrad Ricamora, and Bianca Leigh in Oh, Mary!
