Hannah Solow Reveals Backstage Secrets from Oh, Mary!
Solow will play the title role in Oh, Mary! from Tuesday, September 30 through Sunday, October 12.
By: Stephi Wild Oct. 01, 2025
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We all know how much hard work goes into the performances that audiences see eight times a week on Broadway. When they're not giving it their all onstage, most performers are backstage doing what it takes to stay happy, healthy, and ready to go between scenes. In Words From The Wings, BroadwayWorld is taking fans behind the curtain to shine a spotlight on the everyday routines that keep Broadway stars moving.
In this edition, we catch up with Hannah Solow who is currently appearing as 'Mary' (through October 12) in Oh, Mary! on Broadway. Below, she takes us backstage at the Orpheum Theatre (with photos by Jennifer Broski) to share some of her pre-show rituals, favorite moments, must-haves, and more!
What’s the first thing you do when you arrive to the theatre?
I greet our amazing security guards (shoutout to Charlotte, Shyeisha , and Shawn) and check in with my legal guardians, our incredible stage management team, Bryan Bauer and Ryan Patrick Kane. I am biased but I believe we have the best team on Broadway working at the Lyceum. From the front of house to the backstage crew, I owe everyone my life (literally—thank you Andy for saving me from being hit by the set). I get to the theatre early so I have time to socialize and also lie on the floor and listen to my playlists “OK, MARY!!!!!” and “IM THE SH*T."
What’s the last thing you do before you go on stage?
I swing my big hoop skirt around and power pose behind the doors with my hands on my hips and think, “Time to f*ck sh*t up!!!”
What’s your must-have backstage snack?
When we started Oh, Mary! at the Lortel Off-Broadway we created a communal snack station I deemed “Temptation Island” so I strive to continue the legacy that we started there. I need a mixture of salty and sweet available to me at all times. I subsist on gummy candy, popcorn, Oreos, and chocolate from the candy bowl our hair and makeup supervisor, Darion Matthews, has outside his room. I also have some vegan protein bars (I’m lactose intolerant…safety first) in case of emergencies.
Pre-show ritual that others may think is weird?
In order to get into the headspace of Mary Todd Lincoln, I terrorize my dressing room floor. Once the bratty curls are on, I have the sudden urge to push someone down the stairs…
What are five must-haves in your dressing room?
- My collection of wigs — you never know when you will need a wig.
- My couch — I told myself that if the show extended (the first time) I would buy a couch for my dressing room and I’m so glad I did. We often like to gather in my room and I love having a place for people to sit and gab.
- A craft — I’ve got paint, markers, and a hot glue gun at the ready. Right now, I’m working on a diamond art portrait of a cowgirl, which is incredibly meditative to do while watching "The Gilded Age."
- My vocal health kit — Grether’s, a neck massager, Throat Coat, Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa syrup…I am READY for Broadway.
- Water — It is my life’s work to remember to drink water. I am a lizard. Please remind me if you see me.
What’s your favorite moment from the show to watch from the wings?
Mary doesn’t have a ton of offstage time so if I’m in the wings it’s usually because I am grabbing a prop or wiping sweat from my forehead. I enjoy what I call my “gerbil moments” where my sweet angel of a dresser, Adam Gustas, holds up my water bottle and I slurp water in the manner I can only describe as a gerbil gulping water from a tube in its cage. During my gerbil time, it is thrilling to hear the audience's reactions to Mary’s husband and Mary’s teacher (IYKYK).
What has been your favorite backstage moment in your time with this show so far?
The first time I went on for Mary I stood behind the doors waiting to go on and trying not to cry. I was so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to be standing backstage on Broadway and I still am every time I perform. It’s the thrill of my life to get to burst through those doors.
About Oh, Mary!
Written by Tony Award-winner Cole Escola, and directed by Tony Award-winner Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary! opened on Broadway on July 11, 2024 at the Lyceum Theatre, where it became the first show in the theater’s 121-year history to gross more than $1,000,000 in a single week. Oh, Mary! has since broken its own box office record twelve times, and became the first show of the 2024-25 Broadway season to recoup its investment. Oh, Mary! is produced on Broadway by Kevin McCollum & Lucas McMahon and Mike Lavoie & Carlee Briglia.
