Broadway at the Paramount "OH, MARY!" November 3 through November 8, 2026 Opening Night Review!
“OH, MARY!”
A New Play By Cole Escola
A New Play By Cole Escola
Directed by Sam Pinkleton
Premera Blue Cross Presents Broadway At The Paramount
Paramount Theatre
Seattle, WA
Tuesday November 3, 2026 - Opening/Media Night
When the 2026/2027 Broadway at the Paramount season was announced, one of the first shows that jumped out at me was, “OH, MARY!”. The show has been getting rave reviews on Broadway and overseas. The National Tour pulled up to the Paramount Theatre last night and oh what a night it was!
I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this comedic play as I hadn’t seen it prior nor did I do any extensive research. I tend to want to see the show for what it is and then dig through the details after the fact.
Mary Todd Lincoln was portrayed by Alaska Thunderfuck, a well known artist, singer/songwriter, drag artist, and co-creator, co-writer, and star of DRAG: The Musical. Alaska owned the stage. She had impeccable comedic timing, knew when to lean into the material, and when not to. She also brought a sense of stardom to the stage - she’s the main character and she absolutely was the focus of attention the entire show (as she should be).
Mary’s Husband was played by John-Andrew Morrison who also shined in his role which was honestly to be expected as he’s acted in the Broadway show and nailed his part every time he was on stage.
Mary’s Teacher was played by Wesley Taylor who had an interesting mix of comedic timing and dramatic timing. His role was one that really needed to be many things at many different times and it worked with every scene he was in.
Mary’s Chaperone was played by Pooya Mohseni who, in some scenes, walked away with a stolen scene in her dress pocket (if it had pockets). That’s quite the accolade considering the talent that was on that stage at any given time last evening. I will admit I was a fan of her work from a few films I had watched/reviewed for my media outlet prior but that should not take away from the fact that she was an integral part of the story and cast. I loved seeing her on stage.
Mary’s Husband’s Assistant was played by Michael Lepore. Just like his castmates, Michael made every scene count and his comedic timing was next level.
So, what is this show about? It’s about Mary Todd Lincoln. Check out the website for any other details as I won’t divulge them here.
It was not lost on me that opening night was also election night. Depending on which aisle you lean toward (or are firmly rooted on), the outcome after the show was buzzing throughout the audience as they made their way out of the theatre. How perfect to have this particular show, with this particular cast, here on such a historical election night. The chants of “USA USA” from some patrons was not only a shock (as I hadn’t looked at my phone for the results yet) but also revelatory of just how long some patrons have been waiting for the tide in this country to turn (blue).
The theatre was packed last night - the lobby, the bars, the restrooms, there were patrons everywhere. This show has a large following (I overheard more than one person talk about how many different actresses they’ve seen in the “Mary” role) and it was very apparent last night by the size of the crowd. The remaining performances have very limited availability and I’m not just saying that. If you want to go, and you should, act right now - not later - to purchase any tickets that are still available.
Highly recommended!
“OH, MARY!” plays through Sunday November 8, 2026. Purchase tickets: HERE!
Best,
Mark D. Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts Media
Connect With Eclectic Arts Media: Social Media and Email Links
(This review was written by a credentialed media member who is an actual human being. No Artificial Intelligence programs outside of basic spellcheck were used in any part of its creation.)
Premera Blue Cross Presents Broadway At The Paramount
Paramount Theatre
Seattle, WA
Tuesday November 3, 2026 - Opening/Media Night
(Alaska Thunderfuck and Wesley Taylor in OH, MARY! First National Tour_photo by Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made)
When the 2026/2027 Broadway at the Paramount season was announced, one of the first shows that jumped out at me was, “OH, MARY!”. The show has been getting rave reviews on Broadway and overseas. The National Tour pulled up to the Paramount Theatre last night and oh what a night it was!
I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this comedic play as I hadn’t seen it prior nor did I do any extensive research. I tend to want to see the show for what it is and then dig through the details after the fact.
Mary Todd Lincoln was portrayed by Alaska Thunderfuck, a well known artist, singer/songwriter, drag artist, and co-creator, co-writer, and star of DRAG: The Musical. Alaska owned the stage. She had impeccable comedic timing, knew when to lean into the material, and when not to. She also brought a sense of stardom to the stage - she’s the main character and she absolutely was the focus of attention the entire show (as she should be).
Mary’s Husband was played by John-Andrew Morrison who also shined in his role which was honestly to be expected as he’s acted in the Broadway show and nailed his part every time he was on stage.
Mary’s Teacher was played by Wesley Taylor who had an interesting mix of comedic timing and dramatic timing. His role was one that really needed to be many things at many different times and it worked with every scene he was in.
Mary’s Chaperone was played by Pooya Mohseni who, in some scenes, walked away with a stolen scene in her dress pocket (if it had pockets). That’s quite the accolade considering the talent that was on that stage at any given time last evening. I will admit I was a fan of her work from a few films I had watched/reviewed for my media outlet prior but that should not take away from the fact that she was an integral part of the story and cast. I loved seeing her on stage.
Mary’s Husband’s Assistant was played by Michael Lepore. Just like his castmates, Michael made every scene count and his comedic timing was next level.
So, what is this show about? It’s about Mary Todd Lincoln. Check out the website for any other details as I won’t divulge them here.
It was not lost on me that opening night was also election night. Depending on which aisle you lean toward (or are firmly rooted on), the outcome after the show was buzzing throughout the audience as they made their way out of the theatre. How perfect to have this particular show, with this particular cast, here on such a historical election night. The chants of “USA USA” from some patrons was not only a shock (as I hadn’t looked at my phone for the results yet) but also revelatory of just how long some patrons have been waiting for the tide in this country to turn (blue).
The theatre was packed last night - the lobby, the bars, the restrooms, there were patrons everywhere. This show has a large following (I overheard more than one person talk about how many different actresses they’ve seen in the “Mary” role) and it was very apparent last night by the size of the crowd. The remaining performances have very limited availability and I’m not just saying that. If you want to go, and you should, act right now - not later - to purchase any tickets that are still available.
Highly recommended!
“OH, MARY!” plays through Sunday November 8, 2026. Purchase tickets: HERE!
Best,
Mark D. Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts Media
Connect With Eclectic Arts Media: Social Media and Email Links
(This review was written by a credentialed media member who is an actual human being. No Artificial Intelligence programs outside of basic spellcheck were used in any part of its creation.)
(Michael Lepore, Alaska Thunderfuck, Pooya Mohseni, and John-Andrew Morrison in OH, MARY! First National Tour_photo by Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made)
(Michael Lepore in OH, MARY! First National Tour_photo by Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made)
(John-Andrew Morrison in OH, MARY! First National Tour_photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.)
(Pooya Mohseni and Alaska Thunderfuck in OH, MARY! First National Tour_photo by Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made.)
(Wesley Taylor in OH, MARY! First National Tour_photo by Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made.)
(Alaska Thunderfuck in OH, MARY! First National Tour_photo by Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made.)
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