Ensemble Arts Philly Announces
TONY AWARD® WINNER J. HARRISON GHEE TO STAR AS “MARY TODD LINCOLN” IN PHILADELPHIA RUN OF OH, MARY!
July 30, 2026TONY AWARD® WINNER J. HARRISON GHEE TO STAR
AS “MARY TODD LINCOLN” IN PHILADELPHIA RUN OF
OH, MARY!,
PRESENTED BY ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY
THE TONY® AND OLIVIER® AWARD-WINNING HIT COMEDY
WILL PLAY MARCH 9–14, 2027, AT THE MILLER THEATER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (July 30, 2026) — Producers Kevin McCollum & Lucas McMahon and Mike Lavoie & Carlee Briglia, along with Ensemble Arts Philly and The Shubert Organization, announced today that Tony Award® winner J. Harrison Ghee will star as “Mary Todd Lincoln” when Oh, Mary! comes to Philadelphia for a strictly limited engagement from March 9–14, 2027 at the Miller Theater. Additional casting will be announced in the coming months.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.ensembleartsphilly.org, by calling 215-893-1999, or in person at the Academy of Music Box Office (240 S. Broad Street) daily from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. For more information, visit www.ensembleartsphilly.org.
“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 Todd Lincoln is beyond a dream come true,” said J. Harrison Ghee. “We all possess so much within us. If we surrender to circumstances, we will find the possibility for expansion beyond belief. We are going to set the road on fire with this electrifyingly hilarious play.”
Written by Tony and Olivier Award winner Cole Escola and directed by Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary! opened on Broadway on July 11, 2024, and continues to play at the Lyceum Theatre, where it became the first show in the theatre’s 121-year history to gross more than $1,000,000 in a single week. Oh, Mary! has since broken its own box office record thirteen times and became the first show of the 2024-25 Broadway season to recoup its investment. Oh, Mary! opened to rave reviews in London’s West End on December 18, 2025, and won the 2026 Olivier Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play.
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 one-act play that finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln through the lens of an idiot (playwright Cole Escola).
The full creative team includes dots (Scenic Designer), Holly Pierson (Costume Designer), Cha See (Lighting Designer), Daniel Kluger (Sound Design and Original Music), Drew Levy (Sound Designer), Leah J. Loukas (Wig Designer), Addison Heeren (Props Supervision), and David Dabbon (Musical Arrangements). Casting by Henry Russell Bergstein, CSA.
Oh, Mary! is produced by Kevin McCollum & Lucas McMahon and Mike Lavoie & Carlee Briglia with Bob Boyett, The Council, Jean Doumanian Productions, Nicole Eisenberg, Jay Marcus & George Strus, Irony Point, Richard Batchelder/Bradley Reynolds, Tyler Mount/Tommy Doyle, Nelson & Tao, Palomares Miller & Rosenberg, and ShowTown Productions.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.ensembleartsphilly.org, by calling 215-893-1999, or in person at the Academy of Music Box Office (240 S. Broad Street) daily from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. For more information, visit www.ensembleartsphilly.org.
“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 Todd Lincoln is beyond a dream come true,” said J. Harrison Ghee. “We all possess so much within us. If we surrender to circumstances, we will find the possibility for expansion beyond belief. We are going to set the road on fire with this electrifyingly hilarious play.”
Written by Tony and Olivier Award winner Cole Escola and directed by Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary! opened on Broadway on July 11, 2024, and continues to play at the Lyceum Theatre, where it became the first show in the theatre’s 121-year history to gross more than $1,000,000 in a single week. Oh, Mary! has since broken its own box office record thirteen times and became the first show of the 2024-25 Broadway season to recoup its investment. Oh, Mary! opened to rave reviews in London’s West End on December 18, 2025, and won the 2026 Olivier Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play.
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 one-act play that finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln through the lens of an idiot (playwright Cole Escola).
The full creative team includes dots (Scenic Designer), Holly Pierson (Costume Designer), Cha See (Lighting Designer), Daniel Kluger (Sound Design and Original Music), Drew Levy (Sound Designer), Leah J. Loukas (Wig Designer), Addison Heeren (Props Supervision), and David Dabbon (Musical Arrangements). Casting by Henry Russell Bergstein, CSA.
Oh, Mary! is produced by Kevin McCollum & Lucas McMahon and Mike Lavoie & Carlee Briglia with Bob Boyett, The Council, Jean Doumanian Productions, Nicole Eisenberg, Jay Marcus & George Strus, Irony Point, Richard Batchelder/Bradley Reynolds, Tyler Mount/Tommy Doyle, Nelson & Tao, Palomares Miller & Rosenberg, and ShowTown Productions.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT OH, MARY!
“You’ll be losing your mind with joy.” —The New York Times, Critic’s Pick
"The funniest show on Broadway.” —New York Post
“★★★★★ The funniest play in years. Oh, Mary! is dizzyingly, breathtakingly funny, the kind of funny that ambushes your body into uncontained laughter.” —Time Out New York
“A singular work of virtuoso comedy that is as inventive and shrewd as it is absolutely stupid.” —The Daily Beast
“There’s funny, there’s very funny, and then there’s Oh, Mary!” —Deadline
“80 minutes of almost uninterrupted laughter. A work of genius.” —The Hollywood Reporter
“Unquestionably the funniest, gayest, campiest play Broadway has seen in years.” —Variety
“Oh, Mary!'s sharp writing, breakneck pace, and campy performances keep the theater in hysterics until the curtain falls.” —Queerty
# # #
Oh, Mary!
Miller Theater
March 9–14, 2027
Show Times Vary
American Sign Language and Audio Description offered Friday, March 12, at 7:30 PM
Captioning offered Saturday, March 13, at 1:30 PM
Groups of 10 or more can save by calling 215-790-5883 or visiting ensembleartsphilly.org/groupsales.
Miller Theater
March 9–14, 2027
Show Times Vary
American Sign Language and Audio Description offered Friday, March 12, at 7:30 PM
Captioning offered Saturday, March 13, at 1:30 PM
Groups of 10 or more can save by calling 215-790-5883 or visiting ensembleartsphilly.org/groupsales.
# # #
# # #
THE SHUBERT ORGANIZATION
The Shubert Organization is America’s oldest professional theatre company and the largest theatre owner on Broadway. Since the dawn of the 20th century, Shubert has operated hundreds of theatres and produced hundreds of plays and musicals both in New York City and throughout the United States. Shubert currently owns and operates 17 Broadway theatres, six off-Broadway venues, and the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia. Under the leadership of Robert E. Wankel, Chairman and CEO, and Jeff T. Daniel, President, The Shubert Organization continues to be a leader in the theatre industry. Shubert delivers innovative ticketing solutions via its Telecharge interface, API distribution, and private-label technology, offering unparalleled distribution and marketing to the theatre industry and beyond. Its consumer-facing brands—Telecharge for retail ticket sales and Broadway Inbound for group buyers, tour operators, and the travel industry—sell millions of tickets each year. The Shubert Foundation, sole shareholder of The Shubert Organization, Inc., is dedicated to sustaining and advancing live performing arts in the United States. The Foundation provides general operating support to not-for-profit theatres and dance companies. Foundation grants in 2025 totaled $42 million to 672 grantees. For more information, visit www.shubert.nyc.
ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY
For more information about Ensemble Arts Philly, visit www.ensembleartsphilly.org.
# # #
For photography, please visit https://ensembleartsphilly.smugmug.com/
Click here for a PDF version of this press release.
Press Contacts:
Lauren A. Woodard Hall
484-832-1963
Carole Morganti
609-953-0570
Bryan Buttler
609-902-0923