Video: Kumail Nanjiani Shares Why He Decided to Join Broadway's OH, MARY!
Nanjiani and Urie are starring in Oh, Mary! through September 28 at the Lyceum Theatre.
By: Josh Sharpe Aug. 20, 2025
Kumail Nanjiani and Michael Urie, who recently joined Broadway's Oh, Mary!, visited Good Morning America on Wednesday to discuss the hit play, and their experience in the production. Urie plays Mary's Teacher, with Nanjiani taking on the role of Mary's Husband.
Nanjiani, known for his stand-up comedy and roles in films like The Big Sick, is treading new ground with the project, having never before performed in a play. Despite the hurdle of performing in a New Medium, he was inspired by fellow actors who came from a theater background.
"I did it because I've worked with people who've done theater before, and I was like, 'They're so good at acting. They're better than exclusively screen actors, [so] if this opportunity comes my way, I have to do it, no matter how much it scares me, because I want to learn from this experience," shared the actor.
Nanjiani went on to discuss the differences between theater and stand-up, and the duo shared how they approach moving forward in the show after a line is flubbed or something goes wrong onstage, as well as visits from celebrity guests like Katy Perry. Check out the full conversation now.
Alongside Jinkx Monsoon in the role of Mary Todd Lincoln, Nanjiani, Urie, and Jenn Harris are currently starring in Oh, Mary! for performances through September 28 at the historic Lyceum Theatre.
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.
