Before Jane Krakowski takes the stage each night at the Lyceum Theatre, where she’s been playing the titular role in Broadway’s Oh, Mary! since October, she performs a brief pre-show ritual. To get into the headspace of Mary Todd Lincoln—well, Mary Todd Lincoln as delightfully, derangedly conceived by Cole Escola—Krakowski puts on The Ethel Merman Disco Album.
“I always listen to her cover of ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’ while I finish up and make sure my curls look bratty,” Krakowski says cheekily. “No other song better sums up our show, and it instantly snaps me into Mary Todd’s mindset.”
It tracks that Merman’s vinyl—a sought-after camp artifact—would show up in Krakowski’s Oh, Mary! dressing room (itself designed by Escola’s longtime pal Amy Sedaris). Written by and originally starring Escola, the hit farce, which reimagines Mary Todd as a former “niche cabaret legend” with a penchant for booze and a closeted husband, became a word-of-mouth sensation when it debuted at the 299-seat Lucille Lortel in 2024. Since moving to the Lyceum, Oh, Mary! has developed the sort of cult fandom virtually unheard of for a Broadway show that isn’t about Alexander Hamilton.
“I loved it so much that I was almost mad I didn’t write the part for myself,” Krakowski half-jokes. She’s been a fan of Escola since meeting them on the set of At Home with Amy Sedaris years ago, but seeing an early performance of Oh, Mary! unlocked new levels of appreciation.
“As someone who longs for great comedic writing, this just had it all,” she says. “It felt so special to watch Cole get celebrated for creating something that celebrates all of their talents, but also holds up to so many different interpretations.”
Since Escola’s departure from Oh, Mary! to focus on other projects—including a Miss Piggy movie produced by Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone—Betty Gilpin, Tituss Burgess, and Jinkx Monsoon have all slipped into Mary Todd’s bratty curls. (Krakowski saw and loved all of them.) When Escola and director Sam Pinkleton asked Krakowski if she’d be open to taking a turn, she immediately said yes.
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