There has been a major change in the cast of the Tony-winning play Oh, Mary! as its first national tour is kicking off, with one of the leads stepping down for health reasons.
Tony Award-winning non-binary performer J. Harrison Ghee (Some Like It Hot), who was set to play "Mary's husband" aka Abraham Lincoln in the upcoming run of Oh, Mary! at the Curran in SF and multiple other cities, has stepped down, citing recommendations from their medical team.
Ghee is reportedly living with kidney disease, and recently had a change in their kidney function.
"I'm so grateful to the producers and the entire company of Oh, Mary! for the extraordinary support, care, and understanding they've shown me during this time,” Ghee said. “Stepping away isn't easy, but I know I'm doing it surrounded by people who genuinely support me, and that means more than I can say."
According to a release from ATG San Francisco, which is presenting the SF run of Oh, Mary!'s multi-city tour, Tony nominee John-Andrew Morrison (A Strange Loop), who has played the role on Broadway, will be stepping in as Mary's Husband for the kickoff of the tour, which begins in Hartford, Connecticut this weekend, before doing brief engagements in San Diego and Las Vegas, and coming to San Francisco from October 13 to November 1.
Ghee's departure is being billed as a leave of absence, leaving open the possibility that they will step back into the show. Ghee had been slated to take over in the lead role of Mary Todd Lincoln in January, for the latter half of the tour, becoming the only performer to play both roles.
Mary will be played in San Francisco and throughout the first half of the tour, as we previously reported, by Rupaul's Drag Race All-Star Alaska Thunderfuck.
The play, written by Cole Escola — who originated the role of Mary and won a Tony Award — is directed by Sam Pinkleton, who also won a Tony for his direction. The play originally transferred to Broadway in July 2024, and since then has become a massive hit — particularly as a non-musical — with a who's-who of comedic actors stepping into the role over two years, including Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski, Maya Rudolph, Meg Stalter, and as of this week, Bowen Yang.
Last week it was revealed that Escola will be filling the hoop skirt and "bratty curls" of Mary in a televised version of the play that will be airing on HBO and HBO Max on a still to-be-announced date in 2027. The version of the show that will go to HBO was already filmed, on July 28, 2026, at London's Trafalgar Theatre where Escola was doing a limited engagement of the play over the summer.
Tickets for the SF run are mostly sold out, but still available here.
Previously: 'Drag Race' Royalty Alaska Thunderf*ck to Play Mary In 'Oh, Mary!' In SF
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