Bowen Yang to Star in ‘Oh, Mary!’ in Broadway Debut
Bowen Yang, best known for "Saturday Night Live," will make his Broadway debut in Cole Escola's hit comedy "Oh, Mary!", taking on the role of Mary Todd Lincoln from 15 September for a 12-week run through to 6 December. He joins a long line of high-profile performers who have played the part since Escola, who won a Tony for originating the role, departed the production.
Directed by Sam Pinkleton, the play imagines Mary Todd Lincoln in the days before her husband's assassination as a deranged aspiring cabaret star causing chaos around the White House. Previous stars in the role have included Jane Krakowski, Betty Gilpin, Maya Rudolph and Meg Stalter, who exits the show on 12 September before Hannah Solow briefly takes over. "Oh, Mary!" has run at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre for nearly three years, is currently playing London's West End, and is set to launch a North American tour this autumn.
In short
- Bowen Yang joins Broadway's "Oh, Mary!" as Mary Todd Lincoln from 15 September
- It's his Broadway debut, running through 6 December
- Show has run nearly three years and is expanding to the West End and a US tour
Explained simply
Broadway is New York’s main commercial theatre district, where plays and musicals run in professional theatres. “Oh, Mary!” is a comedy by Cole Escola, centred on Mary Todd Lincoln, the wife of US President Abraham Lincoln.
The play imagines Mary in the days before her husband’s assassination in 1865, pursuing a career as a cabaret performer and disrupting life at the White House. Its version of Mary is a fictional comic character, rather than a portrayal of events presented as historical fact.
The role has been played by several well-known performers, including Escola, Jane Krakowski and Maya Rudolph. The production’s long Broadway run, London engagement and planned North American tour show that it has reached audiences beyond New York.
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