Drag Race champ Jinkx Monsoon to succeed Cole Escola in Oh, Mary!
Jinkx was effusive in praise of her predecessor, saying in a statement: "Cole Escola is the funniest person alive."
By Gary Grimes
Two time RuPaul’s Drag Race champion Jinkx Monsoon is set to succeed Cole Escola in the role of Mary Todd Lincoln on Broadway.
Jinkx, who famously won both season five of Drag Race and All Stars 7, will step into the role for a limited eight week run from 4 August to 27 September.
The role was originated by Escola who recently made history as the first non-binary actor to win the Tony Award for Leading Actor in a Play for their performance as the former First Lady of the United States and wife of Abraham Lincoln.
Prior to Jinkx’s run, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Titus Burgess will play the role for six weeks from 23 June.
Celebrating landing the role, Jinkx took to social media to share a photo of her in costume as Mary. “I walked into the Lyceum Theatre and sat down with the President of Oh, Mary! and said, ‘I want to make history.’ And that’s what this is,” she wrote.
“Now—I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Cole Escola is the funniest person alive,” Monsoon said in a statement.
“Oh, Mary! is one of the best, funniest, most energizing things I’ve seen in my life. To be invited to live in this playground for a time is not only an honor and a privilege, but a lovely chance to showcase the writing talents of one friend, the directorial talents of another, and everything else that comes with this singular production. Happy to trade in one pair of bloomers for another.”
Following their success at the Tonys, Escola made headlines for what many thought to be a shady remark about fellow winner Nicole Scherzinger, though the actor has since said their words were taken out of context.
Jinkx has previously acted in an episode of Doctor Who, and made her Broadway debut in 2023 when she appeared in Chicago as “Mama” Morton. She returned to Broadway earlier this year in Pirates! The Penzance Musical in which she currently stars through July 27.
Oh, Mary! runs in the Lyceum Theatre. Tickets are available to purchase here.