The Summer She Turned Mary: Jinkx Monsoon on Oh, Mary!, Her Broadway Reign and a Killer Theme Song

Jinkx Monsoon had big plans to do absolutely nothing for the second half of the summer. After all, the talented two-time winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race had already spent 2025 performing in her first revue at Carnegie Hall and co-starring in Pirates! The Penzance Musical. “I told my management that I didn’t even want to entertain the idea of work,” says Monsoon. That is, unless the one role she coveted—Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary!—became available.

It did. And since August 4, Monsoon has been making audiences weep with laughter at the Lyceum Theatre. No musty history book interpretation of the Civil War-era First Lady, Monsoon’s Mary is a gossipy drunk stuck in a loveless marriage to Abraham (Kumail Nanjiani) who just wants to do cabaret, darn it. (Oh, Mary! is written by Tony winner Cole Escola, who also originated the part.) “The play shows us the things we all talk about from a really fresh perspective,” says Monsoon, who finishes her run on September 28. Hours before showtime, she chatted with Broadway.com.

What was it like seeing your name and photo on the Oh, Mary! marquee for the first time?
Really emotional. I'm getting to do the things I grew up dreaming of—and the photo and the marquee are signs that I’m doing it. But I did it after working hard for literally my entire life. If you read my baby book, it says that performing is what I wanted to do. And if you looked at pictures of me as a kid, you’d know that I wanted to do it in a dress. But I do joke to my friends that no one tells you how difficult it is when all your dreams come true, because that's when the real work really starts!

But did you ever imagine that a juicy role like this one could even exist?
I like to joke that when you're a visibly queer performer in musical theater, there are a handful of roles you go for: the emcee in Cabaret, Frank-N-Furter [in The Rocky Horror Show], Batboy and Hedwig in Hedwig and The Angry Inch. I love that Cole has created another aspirational role for actors who don’t quite fit into the boxes allotted to us. We're also breaking down the idea that some people can only be character actors and some can only be leading actors—we can learn something new from each performer.

What are you bringing to Mary Todd Lincoln?
I asked Cole, “What do you want me to know about Mary before I begin rehearsing?” And they said, “I created Mary to put on stage parts of myself I had previously kept hidden.” That's a great way to attack this character because she’s this erratic person, so she probably does all the things that we usually tell ourselves not to do. Then I asked our director Sam Pinkleton, “What do you want me to know about the show?” And he said, “The show is best when it's honest and when you lean into what's written and what's true because comedy is funniest when it’s true.” He’s right—we’re always going to laugh harder at things we relate to, and we’re always going to laugh harder at a perspective that we’ve never considered.

And the truth is that Mary is batty but you can’t help rooting for her!
That’s what I'm talking about! Strip away her funny characteristics, look at her circumstances and start to consider why she is the way she is. And that is a really wonderful thing to examine, because people don't just magically become nuts. Inciting events happen.

What’s your pre-stage routine so you don’t jinx yourself?
I have a playlist that I listen to while I do my makeup. Doing my makeup is very much a ritual for each of my characters because that’s how I shape-shift and contribute. I also knock on wood, and it always feels weird if I don't look at every actor before the show starts. Some nights we flip each other off, some nights we dance, some nights we blow each other kisses.

Name one song on the playlist.
There's this song I sent to Cole. It is called “Killer Shangri-Lah (Killing Eve OST)” by Psychotic Beats. In my opinion, that is Mary's theme song.

The big hoop skirt. Is getting in and out of it a production in itself?
It’s actually quite easy because it's one of the most beautifully, technically designed costumes I've ever worn! The whole dress and hoop skirt is all one piece, and I basically step into it. I love the costume because, yes, it's difficult and monstrous, but it helps so much to inform the character. This being a period piece, you have to deal with everything that the character has going on and is going through. So, for Mary, you have consider that she is walking around in this giant, ridiculous cage. That informs her physicality and comfortability in her own body so much.

What’s your secret to not breaking into laughter every night?
Eye contact always saves me. I look into my scene partner's eyes, and when our eyes are locked, it's hard to get distracted. It's like you can say everything with your eyes, even though your mouth is still doing the script. Like I can say, “I'm breaking a little bit, help me.” Then that other actor can ground me in the moment.

You do have great chemistry with Michael Urie, who plays Mary’s acting coach. How did you establish that so quickly?
Michael Urie is as pro as it gets, and he came in with a full grasp and understanding of everything he was there to do. And then you take the fact that we've been friends for almost a decade, and we've always wanted to work together. So the chemistry came easy, because the trust was already there. But I don’t think I’m ever going to look at him the same way again after this because we’re making out every night!

Is it going to be weird to see Sally Field as Mary in the movie Lincoln after playing this role?
Oh, you should see me as Norma Rae!