
Kevin McCollum & Lucas McMahon and Mike Lavoie & Carlee Briglia, along with Broadway In Chicago announced today that Tony Award® winner J. Harrison Ghee will star as “Mary Todd Lincoln” when Oh, Mary! comes to Chicago for a strictly limited engagement from January 19— February 7, 2027, at Broadway In Chicago’s CIBC Theatre. Additional casting will be announced in the coming months.
Reservations for groups of 10+ are available now by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling 312-977-1710. Additional fees apply for online purchases. Individual tickets, with a select number of premium seats available, will go on sale to the public at a later date but audiences can register online at https://cloud.response.broadwayinchicago.com/oh-mary-email-sign-up to receive first access when tickets become available. Subscribers may add tickets to their subscription by clicking here or calling (312) 977-1717. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
“I have seen Oh, Mary! three times and relished the beauty of this show—how different people shine so brightly in these roles, and yet you see the influence of Cole all over the production. The opportunity to get a crack at Mary Todd Lincoln is beyond a dream come true,” said J. Harrison Ghee. “We all possess so much within us. If we surrender to circumstances, we will find the possibility for expansion beyond belief. We are going to set the road on fire with this electrifyingly hilarious play.”
Written by Tony and Olivier Award winner Cole Escola and directed by Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary! opened on Broadway on July 11, 2024, and continues to play at the Lyceum Theatre, where it became the first show in the theatre’s 121-year history to gross more than $1,000,000 in a single week.
Oh, Mary! has since broken its own box office record thirteen times and became the first show of the 2024-25 Broadway season to recoup its investment. Oh, Mary! opened to rave reviews in London’s West End on December 18, 2025, and won the 2026 Olivier Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play.
Oh, Mary! is a dark comedy about a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Unrequited yearning, alcoholism, and suppressed desires abound in this one-act play that finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln through the lens of an idiot (playwright Cole Escola).
The full creative team includes dots (Scenic Designer), Holly Pierson (Costume Designer), Cha See (Lighting Designer), Daniel Kluger (Sound Design and Original Music), Drew Levy (Sound Designer), Leah J. Loukas (Wig Designer), Addison Heeren (Props Supervision), and David Dabbon (Musical Arrangements). Casting by Henry Russell Bergstein, CSA.
Oh, Mary! is produced by Kevin McCollum & Lucas McMahon and Mike Lavoie & Carlee Briglia with Bob Boyett, The Council, Jean Doumanian Productions, Nicole Eisenberg, Jay Marcus & George Strus, Irony Point, Richard Batchelder/Bradley Reynolds, Tyler Mount/Tommy Doyle, Nelson & Tao, Palomares Miller & Rosenberg, and ShowTown Productions.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT OH, MARY!
“You’ll be losing your mind with joy.” —The New York Times, Critic’s Pick
"The funniest show on Broadway.” —New York Post
“★★★★★ The funniest play in years. Oh, Mary! is dizzyingly, breathtakingly funny, the kind of funny that ambushes your body into uncontained laughter.” —Time Out New York
“A singular work of virtuoso comedy that is as inventive and shrewd as it is absolutely stupid.” —The Daily Beast
“There’s funny, there’s very funny, and then there’s Oh, Mary!” —Deadline
“80 minutes of almost uninterrupted laughter. A work of genius.” —The Hollywood Reporter
“Unquestionably the funniest, gayest, campiest play Broadway has seen in years.” —Variety
“Oh, Mary!‘s sharp writing, breakneck pace, and campy performances keep the theater in hysterics until the curtain falls.” —Queerty
CONNECT WITH OH, MARY!
@OhMaryPlay
OhMaryPlay.com
City Lit Theatre’s world premiere of Shane, adapted for the stage and directed by Mark Pracht, brings a fresh, nostalgic…
The rise of artificial intelligence raises many questions about its effect on humanity. What does it mean if we become…
Drury Lane Theatre opens its latest musical with a warm jolt of rock ’n’ roll energy as Buddy – The…
Broadway In Chicago is pleased to announce a darkly delicious Halloween surprise: Kokandy Productions’ critically acclaimed revival of JEKYLL & HYDE will be extended…
Chicago-based Emmy Award-winning performance collective and film/video production company Manual Cinema premiered two new hand-animated films at the Obama Presidential Center Museum…
If you need an energy boost, skip the can of Monster and get yourself, plus loved ones of any age,…
Victory Gardens Theater (2433 N. Lincoln Avenue), an historic incubator for new play development, proudly announces the World Premiere staging of The…
Joining the previously announced stars of Kowalski Johnny Galecki ("The Big Bang Theory," "The Little Dog Laughed") as Tennessee Williams and Jacob Moskovitz ("Elle") as Marlon…
Shattered Globe Theatre is pleased to open its 36th Season with the Midwest premiere of Erika Sheffer's Vladimir, an unflinching drama of resistance directed by Ensemble Member Lou Contey*,…
The League of Chicago Theatres announces the return of Tickets for a 20. From Thursday, August 27 through Monday, September 14, 2026, theatregoers can…
Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s (BWBTC), now presenting the world premiere of yo ho. through August 29 at The Edge Off-Broadway, shares the…
BrightSide Theatre has announced cast and crew for THE ADDAMS FAMILY MUSICAL - the kickoff production of BrightSide's 15th Anniversary season.…
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces the cast and creative team for the company's fall Shakespeare Repertory productions, an unforgettable theatrical event at the heart…
There was a particular kind of magic to seeing a movie outside when I was a kid in 1970s Chicago…
Perhaps surprisingly, Anatomy of a Suicide is not an overwhelmingly emotionally gripping play, nor is it horrifying. Instead, it vividly…
This narrative tracks five individuals within the "People’s Diasporatic Party"—outfitted in corporate attire—as they take refuge in a desolate East…
Finding love has always been a challenge. In Jane Austen’s day, a time governed by strict rules of courtship, couples…
The Joffrey Ballet opens its 2026-27 season with the Chicago Premiere of John Neumeier's landmark narrative ballet Liliom. Inspired by Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play and…
Pulse Theatre Chicago proudly announces a defining new chapter in the company's history with the expansion of its artistic leadership,…
Coming of age stories resonate more profoundly when they mirror the lived reality of a real person. That’s why the…
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company’s 30th Anniversary Season continues with "Exploring The In Between: A Conversation About Mid-Sized Theatres in Chicago," Monday,…
Shattered Globe Theatre (SGT), now under the artistic leadership of Ian Frank, is pleased to announce its 36th Season, featuring three plays that explore the…
M.A.D.D. (Making A Difference Dancing) Rhythms, Chicago’s premier tap collective, is proud to celebrate its 25th Anniversary at the Chicago Tap…
Broadway In Chicago is pleased to announce Blue Man Group will bring its first-ever holiday production, "A NEW HOLIDAY SURPRISE," on…
The League of Chicago Theatres will host its annual benefit, the 2026 Spotlight Gala: Unmask the Night, Embrace the Drama at City Hall –…
Broadway In Chicago is delighted to announce that single tickets for the upcoming engagement of the 10th Anniversary tour of the hilarious…
Otherworld Theatre blasts back into the cosmos with Season 4 of Starship Edsel: An Improvised Star Trek Parody, the latest…
Some musicals carry such cultural weight that every new production feels like a referendum on how well a company can…
Theatre 31 Productions’ Gus and Alice has returned to the Greenhouse Theater Center this month. Written by Chicago playwright Mike Rago,…
Sometimes the best way to find a comedian who’s new to you is by stumbling onto a clip that stops…
City Lit’s Shane Saddles Up a Classic Western With Fresh Heart
In Sisters, Barrie Turns an AI Fable into an Impressive Character Study
Buddy Holly’s Brilliance, Reawakened on the Drury Lane Stage
Kokandy's JEKYLL & HYDE Extended by Popular Demand
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.