Jinkx Monsoon will take over the lead role in the Tony Award winning play Oh, Mary! later this summer…
Jinkx Monsoon is having a great week. The two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race winner was cast as the lead in a Tony Award winning play and recognized as a Logo TV legend.
Announced on The Today Show, Monsoon will portray Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! a dark comedy that follows Abraham Lincoln’s wife in the weeks leading up to his assassination. Her limited eight week run starts August 4 and ends September 27.
Praise for Escola and the Broadway world
Currently starring in Pirates! The Penzance Musical, Monsoon will have a week between the two shows to prepare. While she intended to go on hiatus after her current production, she had one caveat. “I told my agents, I have to take August off unless Oh, Mary! calls, and they went, ‘Oh, Mary! called,'” the queen told The Today Show. When asked how she’d manage the quick turnaround the drag superstar said, “I’m a witch baby! I find ways.”
Monsoon shared her admiration for the play calling it one of the best, funniest and most energizing things she’s seen in her life. She also praised Tony Award winner Cole Escola who created the play and originated the role. “I’ll say it again: Cole Escola is the funniest person alive.”
She also opened up about the importance of theatre and how it allows her to be both an actor and trans person. “I feel very honored and privileged to be in this position right now because, as a trans feminine actress, I was convinced this wasn’t possible,” she said. “And what’s been so beautiful is that, as soon as I kind of made it to this Broadway world, it felt like there was a space already waiting for me.”
Monsoon is the fourth person to portray the former first lady after Cole Escola, Betty Gilpin (Glow) and Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), who starts his six week engagement on Monday. It will mark her third Broadway production after making appearances in Chicago and Pirates! The Penzance Musical.
Receiving legendary status
Earlier in the week, Logo TV honoured Monsoon with its 2025 Logo Legend Award. Given every Pride Month, the award honours a “true trailblazer” in LGBTQ+ media. BenDeLaCreme, Alok, Murray Hill and more joined Monsoon for a 40-minute witchy dinner party special to talk about her life and career. Michelle Visage, Neil Patrick Harris and Kathryn Hahn made special appearances providing touching tributes to the star.
Monsoon’s career after Drag Race has seen her on TV and the stage. She guest starred as Maestro on a Doctor Who episode and in the Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors. She was also on tour with fellow Drag Race contestant and friend BenDeLaCreme for a holiday variety show.
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