Former Saturday Night Live cast member Bowen Yang will make his Broadway debut this fall in Oh, Mary!, starring as Mary Todd Lincoln.
Yang will make his debut in the role on September 15, starting a 12-week run that will extend into December. Yang is assuming a role that has been filled by several other prominent Broadway actors, and was offered to him before.
In the summer of 2025, Yang was asked to play Mrs. Lincoln by his friend Cole Escola, who wrote the play. But Yang was too consumed with finishing off his half season swan song on SNL. The comic actor made his final appearance as a cast member in Studio 8H in the Christmas episode hosted by Ariana Grande.
Oh, Mary! has seen no fewer than six actors play the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in its two-plus years at Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre. Those stars include Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess, Betty Gilpin, and most recently, Meg Stalter.
Another SNL alum has filled the lead in Oh, Mary! during its run: Maya Rudolph.
“It’s a show that is at first about regrets,” Yang told Vulture for an interview. “Mary feels trapped by her own decisions and then she understands that it is, in fact, other people’s decisions that have sort of kept her in this place.”
Yang spent seven seasons on SNL, from 2019 to the ninth episode of Season 51. He was known for his zany appearances on Weekend Update, sketch work, and writing ability. He was so beloved that he is one of the few SNL cast members to get a sendoff sketch. Yang was nominated for five Emmy Awards and one Tony Award as co-producer of Titanique.
