Actor and comedian Bowen Yang will make his Broadway acting debut on September 15, joining Cole Escola’s Tony Award-winning comedy Oh, Mary! at the Lyceum Theatre for a limited 12-week engagement as Mary Todd Lincoln through December 6.
The former Saturday Night Live cast member and podcaster takes over the lead role from Meg Stalter, who concludes her run in the production on September 12. Hannah Solow will step in to play the part on Sunday, September 13, before Yang assumes the role the following Tuesday.
Inside the Star-Studded Cast Changes at the Lyceum Theatre
Yang joins a rotating roster of notable performers who have tackled the madcap, cabaret-obsessed historical figure since playwright Cole Escola originated the role. The production, directed by 2025 Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton, imagines a frustrated and alcoholic Mary Todd Lincoln in the turbulent weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination while her husband attempts to bring an end to the Civil War.
Reflecting on his upcoming transition to the Broadway stage, Yang shared his enthusiasm regarding the production and his creative partnership with the show’s creator.
“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. But being part of their deranged and profound masterpiece, Oh, Mary! is my favorite one by far. I will spend the rest of my life thanking them for the best Broadway debut a cis gay guy with limited singing ability could ask for.”
Bowen Yang, Actor
While Yang steps into the lead, the supporting company undergoes its own adjustments. Continuing cast members Phillip James Brannon as Mary’s Husband, Barrett Foa as Mary’s Teacher, and Bianca Leigh as Mary’s Chaperone are scheduled to remain with the production through December 6. Meanwhile, Ryo Kamibayashi departs his role as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant on September 13, paving the way for original cast member Tony Macht to return to the company as Mary’s Teacher’s Assistant alongside Yang.
Box Office Milestones and Extended Tour Plans
The casting announcement accompanies fresh momentum for the hit comedy, which has expanded its footprint significantly since opening on Broadway on July 11, 2024. Producers confirmed that tickets are now on sale through Saturday, July 10, 2027, extending the run nearly three years past its original opening night.
The production made history at the Lyceum Theatre by becoming the first show in the 121-year-old venue’s history to gross more than $1 million in a single week. It has since broken its own box office record 13 times and secured the distinction of being the first production of the 2024-25 Broadway season to fully recoup its financial investment.
Beyond its permanent New York home, the intellectual property has widened its reach internationally and regionally. Alongside an Olivier Award-winning engagement in London’s West End—which was also filmed for future television broadcast—the dark comedy prepares to launch a North American tour beginning in Hartford, Connecticut this September.
