Full Breakdown
Bowen Yang Joins “Oh, Mary!” as Mary Todd Lincoln for Broadway Debut
8/4/2026, 8:27:26 PM
Core Event: Casting and Upcoming Run
Bowen Yang, former *Saturday Night Live* cast member and “Las Culturistas” podcast host, will assume the title role of Mary Todd Lincoln in the Tony-winning comedy Oh, Mary! beginning September 15. His engagement is limited to a 12-week run that concludes on December 6. Yang replaces Meg Stalter, whose final performance is on September 12, with Hannah Solow stepping in for September 13. The production continues at New York’s Lyceum Theatre.
Background & Context
Created by Cole Escola, *Oh, Mary!* blends pre-Code melodrama, alt-comedy, and downtown queer theater. After a sold-out Off-Broadway run, the show transferred to Broadway on July 11, 2024, and quickly became a commercial hit. Escola stepped away from the part in January 2025, prompting a rotating-cast model that has featured performers such as Betty Gilpin, John Cameron Mitchell, Jinkx Monsoon, Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski, Maya Rudolph, and Meg Stalter. Casting director Henry Russell Bergstein said the role requires “a one-of-a-kind performer” capable of handling eight shows weekly.
Timeline
- July 11, 2024 – *Oh, Mary!* opens on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre.
- January 2025 – Cole Escola departs the role.
- September 12, 2024 – Meg Stalter’s final performance.
- September 13, 2024 – Hannah Solow appears for one night.
- September 15, 2024 – Bowen Yang begins his 12-week engagement.
- December 6, 2024 – Yang’s run ends.
Data & Statistics
- First show in the Lyceum Theatre’s 121-year history to gross over $1 million in a single week.
- Has broken its own box-office record 13 times and was the first 2024-25 Broadway show to recoup its investment.
- Tickets for the current run are on sale through July 10, 2027.
Official Statements & Responses
Yang said joining was a “serious” decision, noting his SNL schedule initially prevented commitment. After leaving SNL in December, he returned to see the show again, saying the experience “hit me differently.” Director Sam Pinkleton expects Yang’s portrayal to be “particularly intense,” likening it to a “real viper.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “My friendship with Cole has brought me many places over the years: late-night pizzerias, cross-borough social-distance walks, a tough production of Les Misérables sung in Dutch,” — Bowen Yang
- “I was too yoked to that timeframe to give myself the proper runway,” — Bowen Yang
- “I think Bowen’s Mary will be particularly intense,” — Sam Pinkleton, director
What’s Next
Yang’s limited engagement runs through December 6, after which the rotating-cast strategy continues. A North American tour is slated to launch in Hartford, Connecticut, later this fall, featuring Alaska Thunderfuck and J. Harrison Ghee as Mary on the road. Ticket sales for the Broadway run remain open through July 10, 2027, offering audiences multiple opportunities to see the evolving portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln.
