OH, MARY! Reviews- Page 22

[KrupYou]

Posted: 8/4/25 at 4:52pm

pix of new cast look great. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/4/25 at 8:35pm

added note when buying tickets:

Kumail Nanjiani will not perform September 11 through September 18.

[quizking101]

Posted: 8/4/25 at 9:35pm

Just got out. Full review later.

Surprising nobody, Jinkx BODIED this role and then some. Get tickets now or forever wish you had.

[Bwaygurl2]

Posted: 8/4/25 at 9:55pm

quizking101 said: "Just got out. Full review later.

Surprising nobody, Jinkx BODIED this role and then some. Get tickets now or forever wish you had."

I. WANT. THE. REVIEW. NOW!!!

[Strange Lupone]

Posted: 8/4/25 at 10:20pm

I’m apoplectic in anticipation. Of the reviews!!!!! Let alone the show!

[quizking101]

Posted: 8/4/25 at 11:49pm

Okay, here’s the tea.

The show ran closer to 90 minutes tonight, compounded by heavy applause, but also because Jinkx went IN on every single bit she could get her hands on. Comparatively, Betty got better over time and Tituss (for me) was never good. Jinkx came out swinging with a Mary that was madcap, bipolar, sassy, and you truly never knew where she was going at any given point, and you were happy to strap in and take the ride. In a matter of a week, she has made the material her own and I couldn’t envision anyone making a debut like she did tonight. The entire first scene with the whiskey had her and Kumail channeling an episode/cadence like a good episode of “I Love Lucy”. She also had crackling chemistry with everyone who, while good,  are not quite on her level yet (Tony being the exception, as he always calibrates to a new Mary very well). For her big cabaret finale, she also interpolated some of her drag character into it, especially adding some Judy Garland riffing throughout.

Kumail was indeed an inspired casting choice for this role and I could see why. I go back to the Lucy reference earlier and he is basically the foil for every one of Jinkx’s antics, and you could see him come close to breaking quite a few times. The downside to this was that sometimes his cadence was a bit monotone and some of the jokes and lines that Conrad or Phillip dug into, he delivered more matter-of-factly. He was not terrible by any means - quite the opposite. He understands the assignment and has room to grow from there. No doubt by the end of his term, he will have found his groove and will easily be on the same playing field as Jinkx.

Michael Urie played Mary’s Teacher with a bit more of the puppy dog earnestness of Chris Renfro, and him and Jinkx hit it right off the bat. What makes Urie different from Renfro is that you can see he keeps a cool and suave facade the whole time (a mellower version of his “camp gay” personality), but then by the time he reaches the ending, he’s become completely unhinged and is almost as crazy as Mary. He also really gays up the relationship between him and Abe that Scully and Renfro drew a line at.

Admittedly, Jenn Harris didn’t make much of an impression on me. I’m used to seeing Bianca Leigh - this being the first show I’ve seen without her over 27 visits to the show. She has a slightly nasal, Long Island-ish voice, and doesn’t do any sort of prim and proper affectation, which was sorely missed as that very prissy personality Louise has is what makes her personal indiscretions even funnier.

Overall, get your damn tickets NOW because Jinkx is a performance you CANNOT miss. This is her moment - go bask in it.

Playbill Sale!: https://www.ebay.com/usr/missvirginiahamm

Updated On: 8/5/25 at 11:49 PM

[quizking101]

Posted: 8/5/25 at 12:01am

Also, the stage door was a bit of a poo show tonight, but I think the staff could not have possibly prepared for what was coming. They had the little barricade by the door since very few people were stagedooring the show for the longest time, but then the crowd grew…and grew…and grew until the line extended almost to 6th Ave (I wish I was kidding). 

They then repositioned the barricades to have the crowd come to Jinkx and she signed and took pics and we all (security included) got the impression it was just her (which we - a bunch of us people - were fine with)…but then Kumail came out and was signing and taking pics with Jinkx…and then Michael came out and was in the “stagedoor cage”, then Tony and Jen came out later, but were signing along the long line. 

Most people were very polite and well behaved and everyone was quite nice and seemed touched by the large outpouring of support. There was this one lady there though who didn’t see the show, but got an extra Playbill from someone and was asking questions about when she could walk up and get her autographs and she was just being generally annoying (notwithstanding the fact she also appeared disheveled and smelled of stale urine).

Playbill Sale!: https://www.ebay.com/usr/missvirginiahamm

Updated On: 8/5/25 at 12:01 AM

[MezzA101]

Posted: 8/6/25 at 8:42pm

Jinkx Monsoon Says Being a Broadway Star Feels 'Like Affirmation' (Exclusive)

https://people.com/jinkx-monsoon-interview-broadway-oh-mary-exclusive-11785820

[THDavis]

Posted: 8/6/25 at 9:15pm

Updated On: 8/6/25 at 09:15 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 1:20am

Revisited the production tonight and Jinkx is really magnificent as Mary. It’s a role that is really well-suited to her talents and sensibility and she makes the most of it. She’s a bit of a cross between Bette Davis as Baby Jane and Carol Burnett and the demon from The Exorcist, and finds her own unique bits and beats that are very funny. 
 

Michael Urie is fantastic as Mary’s Teacher- the production is at its best when he and Jinkx are together.  Just a really good match for this material, and his switch from swoony romantic to unhinged jilted gay lover is very, very funny.

I thought Kumail Nanjiani’s inexperience onstage unfortunately was very evident. He lacks an ease onstage, stepping on beats and delivering everything at one level. And, honestly, it sounded like he is at great risk of blowing out his voice during his run. He shouts a great deal and it really doesn’t seem to be done in a sustainable or healthy way. It really did make me miss Conrad Ricamora, who was able to layer his performance substantially more and thus make it funnier.

I liked Jen Harris, but the role feels so much smaller than it did with Bianca Leigh. Leigh brought a certain grandiose quality that made Louise feel more present and made her role as Mary’s victim of abuse so much funnier.
 

Although the down-the-line perfect casting of the original cast is gone, the play remains a modern comedy classic and the audience ate it up. Jinkx is the reason to return and she brings it. And, honestly, she is such an endearing and singular performer that you can’t help but love her and the fact she’s found this level of success. 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 12:27pm

Does anyone know if Urie will be out the weekend of September 27th? He was announced to be doing a one man production of Hamlet that weekend, but I can’t find any info about that or his absence.

[CarmenDeBris]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 12:31pm

According to Telecharge his scheduled absences are 8/15 and 9/13-14. 

 

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 12:36pm

What do we think the odds are that the current cast extends into October? Jinkx' holiday tour starts November 12th, do we think she'll take a break or play Mary for another few weeks? I....MAY have tickets for October 18th. 

[theatreguy]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 2:46pm

Given that she's been away from home and hasn't taken any time off since PIRATES started rehearsals, I would be very surprised if Jinkx extended.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 3:20pm

Apparently, Jackie Sanders is back as a vacation cover.

[quizking101]

Posted: 8/12/25 at 3:49pm

ChairinMain said: "What do we think the odds are that the current cast extends into October? Jinkx' holiday tour starts November 12th, do we think she'll take a break or play Mary for another few weeks? I....MAY have tickets for October 18th."

I could probably see a return engagement at some point, since I’m of the camp that firmly believes this will not be closing in January as currently stated since now they are upping their casting game and continue to print money.

But Jinkx needs a break most likely before she heads out on tour for the holidays. Not everyone can do it like Eva “Booked, Busy, & Britain-bound” Noblezada.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/14/25 at 11:46am

CarmenDeBris said: "According to Telecharge his scheduled absences are 8/15 and 9/13-14.

"

Both him and Kumail are out Sept 13 & 14. I wonder if they're bringing in another male cover for Mary's Teacher/Mary's Husband?

Updated On: 8/14/25 at 11:46 AM

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 8/14/25 at 12:18pm

Yeah, they may have a vacation cover for those days just to be on the safe side. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/14/25 at 12:21pm

ChairinMain said: "Yeah, they may have a vacation cover for those days just to be on the safe side."

Jackie is there for Jinkx's run. They probably hire a male cover for those two weeks where Kumail and Urie are out. I wonder if Tony has vacation days coming up, too?

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 8/15/25 at 12:10pm

The first time I saw this show, I had the creeping doubt that it was only as funny as it was because it was fresh. The second time, I had the creeping doubt that it was only as funny as it was because of Cole, et al. The third time, I have no doubts that Oh, Mary! isn't just a great star vehicle for Cole Escola (this is the first alternate Mary I've seen), but a great star vehicle period, and a much more flexible comedy than I first thought.

There are some losses with the new cast. Cole and Bianca, in particular, had a very specific style that elevated the show's send-up of dowdy regional theatre (Cole as a "bad" actress, Bianca with her overly mannered dialect), which was one of my favourite elements. However, Jinkx and Jenn have filled that with a kind of perfect Carol Burnett mania, and now the show has a completely new bend to it that I wasn't expecting at all. Jenn's quicker, more contemporary, midwestern-anxious energy had me doubled over during the ice cream scene (I don't remember Bianca dropping an f-bomb after leaving). Some laughs are dampened, but then there are new laughs in unexpected places.

What blows me away about Jinkx's performance as Mary is how bizarrely real it feels. It's a huge, theatrical, stupid performance, and also a dedicated and complete one. Something I didn't really think about previously is how the show makes the audience feel like we're a delusion conjured up by Mary, and what a crafty way to utilize the performer-audience relationship that is. Jinkx makes a meal out of that dynamic. Where Cole et al seemed to be playing with the idea of a bad regional production of a bad historical play (on acid), Jinkx turns it into a kind of hysterical psychological thunderstorm, and there's a desperation under the bone-deep delusion that really surprised me. It's high camp, it's low comedy, and it's a revelation.

I will say that seeing this for a third time makes me think that Mary's Husband is just a really hard role to nail. Conrad Ricamora was decently funny in it, but it never felt complete, and Kumail Nanjiani feels similarly not-quite-there. There are some big laughs, but I feel like we still haven't seen this character at its full potential. Michael Urie, however, eats it up as the teacher. He's cute and earnest in the scenes with Mary, and then he transforms in the saloon scene in a way that James Scully didn't and, again, a fun new layer is added ("oh my god you ARE" and "ew what no" both killed me).

Jinkx is giving the kind of legendary performance that I'll probably be talking about on my deathbed. She's not just the moment, she's the hour, the day, the year, and the decade.

[THDavis]

Posted: 8/18/25 at 9:51pm

Saw the show tonight and can echo most of what everyone is saying here - it’s in great shape! I could comment more about individual takes on the new cast but would like to give  shoutout to Martin Landry who was on as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant/Kyle this evening. It was my first time seeing an entirely new cast in the show, and it was MARVELOUS!

 

Anyone know if Martin has gone on before? He was great. 

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 8/18/25 at 10:50pm

I caught Martin as Simon/Kyle back in March, he was indeed terrific in the role! I think he's also been on as Abraham at least a couple of times.

[hairspraydude1962]

Posted: 8/19/25 at 9:43am

They have hired a new vacation swing: Sean Peter Forte.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/19/25 at 8:12pm

Apologies if this has been brought up already:

How are the $99 side orchestra seats labeled "partial view"? The seat next to it goes for $189...how obstructed are we talking?

Updated On: 8/19/25 at 08:12 PM

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 8/19/25 at 8:27pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Apologies if this has been brought up already:

How are the $99 side orchestra seats labeled "partial view"? The seat next to it goes for $189...how obstructed are we talking?"

If you’re on audience side right, barely at all. There’s, I think, a bookcase they occasionally walk over to that you can’t see but it doesn’t affect anything. I think orchestra left obscures a window seat where a few gags happen early on.