In great news for anyone who has been meaning to see Oh, Mary!, its season at the Trafalgar Theatre has just been extended until July 18 – with Catherine Tate taking over the lead role from Mason Alexander Park.
The play, which was originally scheduled to run only until April 25, is a dark and zany comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln, yearning to escape her husband’s shadow in the weeks leading up to his assassination. It was written by comedian, actor and writer Cole Escola, who also starred as Mary when it premiered on Broadway in 2024. It earned them a Tony for Best Actor in a Play, making them the first openly non-binary actor to win the award.
Critics in New York almost uniformly loved the show, with its over-the-top camp humour; The New York Times declared it “one of the best comedies in years”. It has received more mixed responses in the UK, but audiences have still flocked to the Trafalgar Theatre to see it, with lead actor Mason Alexander Park (Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Hedwig and the Angry Inch) receiving rave reviews.
Tate will step into the lead role after Saturday April 25 and Scott Karim (Wendy & Peter Pan at The Barbican, The Flea at The Yard) takes over as Mary’s husband after Saturday March 14. While Tate might be best-known for her TV work (The Catherine Tate Show, Doctor Who), she’s also a prolific West End actor, with credits including Under the Blue Sky at The Duke of York’s Theatre and The Enfield Haunting at the Ambassadors Theatre.
Oh, Mary! is playing at the Trafalgar Theatre, and bookings are available until Saturday July 18.
