Oh, Mary! has arrived in Los Angeles, and the city’s theater crowd has responded with a stampede. The production opens this week at the Ahmanson Theatre, where the vast majority of seats for its nearly month-long run sold out in advance. That rarely happens at the 2,100-seat venue, but this show is a unique case.

The comedy follows Mary Todd Lincoln, the possibly unhinged presidential spouse, and her thwarted dream of trading the parlors of the White House for a career in show business. The story is as hysterical as it is ahistorical. If anything would please Mary, it is a bigger room.

From Off-Broadway Smash to National Tour

Cole Escola wrote the wild comedic play and originally starred in it, while Sam Pinkleton directs. After a smash off-Broadway run, the production became Broadway’s toughest ticket the moment it opened in early 2024. Demand has not cooled since.

Over the last two and a half years, a succession of actors has stepped into Mary’s dress, including both drag performers and cis women. On the national tour that reaches L.A., the leading lady is the drag queen Alaska Thunderfuck. She has some big 19th century shoes to fill.

A Bigger Room, a Bigger Laugh

Thunderfuck now has to project to a far larger house than Broadway’s Lyceum, which seats less than half of what the Ahmanson holds. A bigger balcony might intimidate some performers. Pinkleton, however, told Variety that the larger space could work in the show’s favor.

His reasoning centers on the contagion of laughter. As the play grows progressively more outrageous, audience members tend to get caught up in uncontrolled laughter. With more ticketholders in the room, that effect could spread even further.

Pinkleton’s Growing Résumé

Some L.A. audiences already know Pinkleton from his 2024 Pasadena Playhouse production of La Cage aux Folles. Broadway theatergoers can currently see his revival of The Rocky Horror Show alongside Oh, Mary!. He also discussed with Variety two other classic musicals that he plans to bring back to New York.

The buzz around the tour also reflects how widely the show’s reputation has spread. Almost everyone in L.A. knew the production was coming, which makes the usual promise of “helping spread the news” feel almost unnecessary. The sellout confirms it.

Return Engagement Set for 2027

Theatergoers who missed out on good seats still have another chance. The Ahmanson just announced that demand will bring Oh, Mary! back for a return engagement in 2027. The announcement should comfort anyone with FOMO about this run.

For now, the focus stays on the Music Center, where Alaska Thunderfuck brings the thunder to a packed house. Between a bigger room, a bigger cast of ticketholders, and a Mary who dreams of the spotlight, the L.A. engagement gives the show plenty of room to grow more outrageous.

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