Although she’s always ready to go on without advance notice, acclaimed Oh, Mary! understudy Hannah Solow is enjoying a scheduled two-week run in the role of Mary Todd Lincoln starting September 30. Tony winner Jane Krakowski will begin her run in the role on October 14.
Also starting performances on September 30 are Oh, Mary! alums Phillip James Brannon as Mary's Husband and James Scully as Mary's Teacher. Brannon, Scully and Solow will all remain in the roles through October 12.
Solow has been member of the Oh, Mary! company since its off-Broadway run in early 2024, understudying both the roles of Mary and Mary’s Chaperone. She first went on for playwright/star Cole Escola in November 2024 after the play transferred to Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre, and has performed the role 17 times since.
Previously, Solow played Gertie in the national tour of director Daniel Fish’s Oklahoma! and was, for one night, Mike Birbiglia’s “understudy” in his show The New One. She is also a comedian and improv performer, having been a regular presence at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.
Oh, Mary! is a dark comedy about a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Unrequited yearning, alcoholism and suppressed desires abound in this 80-minute one-act play that finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln through the joyfully idiotic lens of Escola. Directed by Tony winner Sam Pinkleton, the play premiered off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in February 2024 before opening on Broadway in July 2024.
After her run as Mary ends on October 12, Solow will continue as understudy until further notice.