RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Alaska and J. Harrison Ghee to alternate as Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! US tour

RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Alaska and Tony-winning actor J. Harrison Ghee have been cast in the first US national tour of Oh, Mary!, with both set to take on the title role of Mary Todd Lincoln during the production’s 2026–27 run.

Written by Cole Escola and directed by Sam Pinkleton, the hit comedy imagines an alternate version of Abraham Lincoln’s wife in the weeks before the president’s assassination.

The one-act comedy premiered Off-Broadway in 2024 before transferring to Broadway, where it won Tony Awards for Best Leading Actor in a Play for Escola and Best Direction of a Play for Pinkleton. It has since transferred to London’s West End and was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

“I’ve often been asked what my dream role would be. I never had a dream role. Until I saw Oh, Mary!” – Alaska on joining the comedy’s US tour

The national tour begins in Hartford, Connecticut, on 19 September 2026. Alaska will play Mary Todd Lincoln until 17 January 2027, with appearances including Los Angeles, while Ghee will initially appear as “Mary’s Husband” – the show’s comic interpretation of Abraham Lincoln.

From 19 January, when the production arrives in Chicago, Ghee will take over the title role for the remainder of the tour. In doing so, they will become the first performer to play both Mary Todd Lincoln and Mary’s Husband in the production. The tour is scheduled to visit cities including San Francisco, Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Seattle, Houston and Las Vegas before concluding in West Palm Beach in May 2027.

“I’ve often been asked what my dream role would be. I never had a dream role. Until I saw Oh, Mary!,” Alaska said in a statement to People. “So, it is an actual dream come true that I, Alaska Thunderf—, get to play Mary F—ing Todd in the greatest play of the generation.”

She continued: “I am infinitely grateful to the inspired genius known as Cole Escola for creating the best role in the best show ever to exist. (How did you do it? Are you a time traveler perhaps?) And to my dear pal and confidante Sam Pinkleton: Thank you for bringing this play to life with such brilliance and bombast. I can’t wait.”

“We are going to set the road on fire with this electrifyingly hilarious play” – J. Harrison Ghee

Ghee, who won the 2023 Tony Award for Some Like It Hot, said they were looking forward to tackling both parts.

“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,” they said. “I love getting to switch it up and show multiple sides of myself. We all possess so much within us. If we surrender to circumstances, we will find the possibility for expansion beyond belief.”

They added: “There are bound to be some brilliant moments, and we are going to set the road on fire with this electrifyingly hilarious play.”

Further casting for the national tour will be announced at a later date.