Six-time Emmy nominee Tituss Burgess will don Mary Todd Lincoln's bratty wig for a limited engagement in Broadway's Oh, Mary! beginning March 18. Burgess will lead the company of the Cole Escola play for three weeks, with a final performance set for April 6.
"Oh, Mary! blew me away when I saw it on Broadway," Burgess said in a statement. "Cole Escola is a genius! The show is fresh and impossibly funny. I understand the role of Mary Todd Lincoln maybe a little too well. I’m over the moon with joy that I get to join the company at The Lyceum Theatre."
Burgess was last seen on Broadway as Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge!, a performance that marked the actor's first return to Broadway since playing Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the 2009 revival of Guys and Dolls. Other Broadway credits include Good Vibrations, Jersey Boys, and The Little Mermaid. Burgess received five Emmy nominations for his performance as Titus Andromedon in Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Burgess has also been seen on screen in the second season of Schmigadoon!
Written by and originally starring Escola, Oh, Mary! centers on famous First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. In Escola's demented take (or as press notes put it, "through the lens of an idiot"), Mary Todd becomes a madcap, cabaret-obsessed alcoholic.
The multi-extended run officially opened on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre July 11 after beginning previews June 26. Read the reviews here.
The current company includes Glow star Betty Gilpin in the title role, Phillip James Brannon (Macbeth) as Mary's Husband, Chris Renfro (Queer as Folk) as Mary's Teacher, Bianca Leigh as Mary’s Chaperone, and Tony Macht as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant. Rounding out the company are understudies Hannah Solow, Martin Landry, and Julian Manjerico.
The piece premiered at Off-Broadway's Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2024 in a run that was extended three times. The production earned two 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding New American Play and Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway play, both for Escola. The show also won the 2024 Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Play.
READ: Camp and the Art of Being Cole Escola
Sam Pinkleton directs the Broadway run after staging the Off-Broadway premiere. His creative team includes scenic designer dots, costume designer Holly Pierson, lighting designer Cha See, composer and co-sound designer Daniel Kluger, co-sound designer Drew Levy, wig designer Leah J. Loukas, and music arranger David Dabbon. Casting is by Henry Russell Bergstein. Bryan Bauer and Ryan Patrick Kane are production stage manager and assistant stage manager, respectively.
Visit OhMaryPlay.com.
