GLOWAlum Betty Gilpin Taking Over Lead Role in Broadway'sOh, Mary!for Limited 8-Week Engagement

Mar. 15, 2025

Betty Gilpin as Mary Todd Lincoln in ‘Oh Mary’.Photo:Daniel Rampulla

Daniel Rampulla

Betty Gilpinis stepping into the White House!

On Tuesday, Dec. 3, producers of Broadway’sOh, Mary!announced that theGLOWalum, 38, will be taking over the role of Mary Todd Lincoln from playwright and actorCole Escolain a limited 8-week engagement at the Lyceum Theater in New York City beginning Jan. 21, 2025.

Escola’s final performance will be on Jan. 19. Gilpin’s run is set to end on March 16.

‘Oh Mary’ poster featuring Betty Gilpin.

“I have worshiped at the altar of Cole for years, but seeing their billion layered brilliance inOh, Mary!was a new plane of demented genius I didn’t know was scientifically possible,” Gilpin said in a statement. “I am beyond honored to step in so that Cole can get back to tending their neglected passions: fracking and skincare. Diving in with the perfect Sam Pinkleton to play Mary will be one of the single greatest joys of my life, and I will say that to my two daughters’ faces.”

On the big screen, she has starred inIsn’t It Romantic,The Hunt, andThe Tomorrow War, among many others.

Betty Gilpin.Emily Soto

Emily Soto

Escola – who uses they/them pronouns – has played the titular role inOh, Mary!since its Off-Broadway debut in January 2024. They transferred with the smash-hit show to Broadway, where it opened on July 11 and is currently booking out until June 28, 2025.

“I could not be more excited to see what Betty Gilpin does with the role of Mary,” Escola said. “She’s a brilliant comedic actress who understands the heart of this character and knows the serious business of being a fool. I promise, you won’t want to miss Betty as Mary.”

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The acclaimed production, which received two extensions during its Off-Broadway run and a Drama Desk Award win for Escola, has broken the box office record several times and grossed $1,286,789 for the week ending in Dec. 1.

The production currently stars Escola as Mary Todd Lincoln, alongsideConrad Ricamoraas Mary’s Husband, James Scully as Mary’s Teacher, Bianca Leigh as Mary’s Chaperone and Tony Macht as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant. Peter Smith, Hannah Solow and Martin Landry also star.

Conrad Ricamora and Cole Escola in ‘Oh, Mary!'.Emilio Madrid

Emilio Madrid

The show has been a star-studded destination since it first began performance. Recently,Allison Janney,Nick OffermanandMegan Mullally,RuPaul, andRobert Downey Jr.been spotted in the audience. Back when it was playing Off-Broadway,Timothée Chalamet,Bowen YangandAmy Schumervisited the show, along with former Mary Todd Lincoln actressSally Field, who attended withLincolndirectorSteven Spielberg.

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In a July interview withElle, Escola opened up about the transformative nature of portraying the famed first lady on stage. “As soon as I get on stage as Mary Todd Lincoln, I am just having the time of my life. Writing-wise, [Mary] is me, but in the way that all the characters that I write are me. Even Abe is me and all the other characters in the play are me,” they said.

Escola continued, “I’ve felt all of the things that [Mary] feels, and especially the having dreams that are embarrassing. We all care [about] what other people think about us, but we all have blind spots. Even the most self-conscious, codependent person who’s like, ‘I’m definitely in control of what other people think about me’—nobody really does. It’s crushing to realize you actually don’t have control over what people think of you, and even as much as you think you do … That’s a huge fear of mine. I think that’s especially tied into queerness. All of the facets of Mary’s personality, and dreams, and fears are directly from me.”

Tickets forOh, Mary!are now on sale.

source: people.com