Speculation and rumors have been swirling for months now about who would play the titular role of Mary Todd Lincoln when Cole Escola's Oh, Mary! comes to San Francisco this fall, and now we have an answer.

As the first touring production of the hilariously a-historical Oh, Mary! is about to hit the road, news arrived Thursday morning of who the stars will be. For fans of Rupaul's Drag Race, the headline is that Alaska Thunderfuck 5000, often billed just as Alaska, will be playing the titular role for the first portion of the tour.

But for Broadway nerds, the bigger news may be that nonbinary Tony Award-winner J. Harrison Ghee (Some Like It Hot) will start the tour playing Mary's Husband (which is how Abraham Lincoln is billed in the script), but will finish the tour, starting with its Chicago dates in January, playing Mary, becoming the first performer to take on both roles. (It does not sound like Alaska will trade off and play Abe, though this is unclear from today's announcement.)

In a statement, Alaska says, "I’ve often been asked what my dream role would be. As an 8-foot-tall drag queen from outer space, I never really had an answer. Mama Rose? I’m too tall. Evita? I’m too short. Willy Loman? Wait… that might actually be amazing. But the point is, I never had a dream role. Until I saw Oh, Mary!. So, it is an actual dream come true that I, Alaska Thunderf*ck, get to play Mary F*cking Todd in the greatest play of the generation. This is an honor. This is unbelievable."

"I am infinitely grateful to the inspired genius known as Cole Escola for creating the best role in the best show ever to exist," Alaska adds.

"I have seen Oh, Mary! three times and relished the beauty of this show — how different people shine so brightly in these roles, and yet you see the influence of Cole all over the production. The opportunity to get a crack at Mary’s Husband is beyond a dream come true,” says Ghee, in a statement.

The role of Mary has, since Escola exited the production last year, been taken on by another Rupaul's Drag Race star, Jinkx Monsoon,  as well as a host of talented comedic performers including Betty Gilpin, Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess, Maya Rudolph, and, currently, Meg Stalter. But never has a performer had the chance to portray both Mary and Mary's Husband.

As Playbill reports, the tour will kick off with Alaska playing Mary in Harford, Connecticut starting September 19. Alaska will continue in the role when the production comes to SF's Curran Theater October 13 to November 1, and as it then heads to Seattle (November 3-8) and Los Angeles (November 10-December 6). Alaska will also be in the role when the show heads to Boston and St. Paul, but Ghee will take over starting January 19 in Chicago, and continue as the show heads to DC,  Detroit, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Cleveland, Tampa, Houston, and West Palm Beach, where the tour concludes next May.

Escola's play, which imagines Mary Todd Lincoln as an alcoholic, self-involved, semi-deranged, would-be cabaret star who's entirely ignorant of the Civil War and the politics of the day, originally premiered at the Lucille Lortel Theater, off-Broadway, in early 2024. After transferring to Broadway later that year, it's become a smash hit in a way that non-musical plays typically do not, and has continued selling out this summer with Rudolph and Stalter starring.

Escola, who like Ghee is non-binary, took home the Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play in 2025 for originating the role of Mary. And Sam Pinkleton, who is directing the touring production, also won for Best Direction of a Play.

Tickets for the San Francisco performances at the Curran are currently listed as "low availability" for the extent of the run, but you can find what remains here.

Oh, Mary! is part of the ATG San Francisco season, which will also be bringing the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of The Outsiders to the Orpheum in December. Also this upcoming season will include the musicals Buena Vista Social Club, Operation Mincemeat, The Great Gatsby, Death Becomes Her, and Maybe Happy Ending.

Previously: Tony-Winning Hit Play 'Oh, Mary!' Coming to San Francisco This Fall