Jinkx Monsoon to make West End debut in Oh, Mary! as Mary Todd Lincoln
Jinkx Monsoon. (Getty)
Jinkx Monsoon. (Image: Getty)
Jinkx Monsoon will make her London West End debut this summer, taking over as Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! at Trafalgar Theatre for a six-week run from 17 August to 26 September.
The casting puts the RuPaul’s Drag Race winner at the heart of a buzzy, awards-winning comedy that has built a cult following since its US run and subsequent West End arrival.
Monsoon is the next performer in a planned rotation of Mary Todd Lincolns across the summer. Catherine Tate, who currently plays the role, is scheduled to give her final performance on 18 July. Cole Escola, who originated the part, will reprise the role from 20 July to 15 August, before Monsoon steps in.
Monsoon can also be seen in London as Judy Garland in Peter Quilter’s End of the Rainbow at Soho Theatre, Walthamstow, and appeared on screen as the Maestro in Doctor Who for the BBC and Disney+.
What to know about Oh, Mary!
Written by Tony Award winner Cole Escola and directed by Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary! is an 80-minute one-act dark comedy set in the weeks before Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, charting Mary Todd Lincoln’s “unrequited longings, alcoholism and suppressed desires”.
The play premiered off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in January 2024, before transferring to Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre in July 2024. It arrived in the West End on 3 December 2025, and claimed Best Entertainment or Comedy Play at this year’s Olivier Awards.
Jinkx Monsoon’s London run
Monsoon is known as a multi-talented performer, hitting new heights for drag performers across live singing, comedy, and theatrical storytelling. She also came out as pansexual, and has spoken publicly about her transition.
