Video: Jane Krakowski Recalls Seeing OH, MARY! for the First Time
The Tony winner plays the title role in the show through January 4, 2026, at the Lyceum Theatre.
By: Josh Sharpe Nov. 18, 2025
Jane Krakowski, currently back on the boards as the title role in Cole Escola's Oh, Mary! on Broadway, stopped by Late Night with Seth Meyers on Monday to discuss the show, of which she's been a big fan since its early days.
"I went to see it downtown, and oddly, on the night I was sitting only a few seats away from Steven Spielberg, Sally Field, and Tony Kushner, who did the actual factual film about Lincoln. So that was a little weird!" she recalled. The Tony winner then went on to share the moment she might be perfect for the part.
"But then I sat back and watched Cole's tour de force performance... In the middle of scene one, there's a line where Mary Todd says 'Why would I throw an entire woman down the stairs? Because it's hilarious?!' And I sat up, going, 'Wait a minute, that sounds like a role I might play!'"
Having seen the show multiple times since, Krakowski was already familiar with the material, but wasn't prepared for the weight of the iconic black dress. "The thing that surprised me the most was how heavy the dress actually is," said the performer. "But Cole and all the other Marys made it look like they were just flitting and flying around the stage like it was light. But what I've come to know now, doing the show for a month of performances, I have bruises everywhere on my body. But I felt no pain during the show!"
Krakowski is currently starring in the Tony Award-winning hit comedy, Oh, Mary! alongside Cheyenne Jackson as ‘Mary’s Teacher’ and John-Andrew Morrison as ‘Mary’s Husband.' Originally slated to perform through December 7, 2025, their run was recently extended and the performers will now appear in the show through January 4, 2026 at the historic Lyceum Theatre.
The cast also features Jenn Harris (‘Mary’s Chaperone’) and Martin Landry (‘Mary’s Husband’s Assistant’). Hannah Solow, Julian Manjerico, and Sean Peter Forte complete the company.
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.
