Saturday Night Live star and Las Culturistas podcast host Bowen Yang will make his Broadway acting debut this September in the Tony Award-winning comedy Oh, Mary!, stepping into the role of Mary Todd Lincoln for a limited 12-week run.
Yang is set to begin performances on September 15 at the Lyceum Theatre, taking over from current lead Meg Stalter, whose run concludes on September 12. His engagement will run through December 6.
“My friendship with Cole has brought me many places over the years: late-night pizzerias, cross-borough social-distance walks, a tough production of Les Misérables sung in Dutch,” said Yang about Oh, Mary! creator Cole Escola. “But being part of their deranged and profound masterpiece, Oh, Mary! is my favorite one by far. I will spend the rest of my life thanking them for the best Broadway debut a cis gay guy with limited singing ability could ask for.”
Yang’s casting follows a growing list of Asian talents stepping onto the Oh, Mary! stage. Earlier this year, Simu Liu made his Broadway debut in the production, joining as “Mary’s Teacher” from February through April in a limited engagement at the Lyceum Theatre.
Read more: ‘Oh Mary!’: Simu Liu to Make Broadway Debut in February
Written by Cole Escola, Oh, Mary! offers a darkly comedic reimagining of Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, portraying her as a chaotic, cabaret-obsessed figure more concerned with stardom than politics. The production has become one of Broadway’s most talked-about hits since opening in July 2024.
Directed by Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton, the show made history at the Lyceum Theatre as the first production in its 121-year history to gross over $1 million in a single week. It has since broken its own box office record 13 times and was the first show of the 2024–25 Broadway season to recoup its investment.
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Yang joins a rotating lineup of high-profile performers who have taken on the role, including Betty Gilpin, Tituss Burgess, Jinkx Monsoon, Jane Krakowski, Maya Rudolph, and Escola himself. He will star alongside continuing cast members Phillip James Brannon, Barrett Foa, Bianca Leigh, and returning original cast member Tony Macht.
The production continues its strong momentum with tickets now on sale through July 10, 2027, alongside a West End run and an upcoming North American tour launching in Hartford this September.
For Yang, the debut marks a major milestone—bringing his comedic sensibilities and cultural presence to one of Broadway’s most unconventional and celebrated roles.
