Sarah on theater

Cole Escola as Mary Todd Lincoln

Cole Escola as Mary Todd Lincoln

Betty Gilpin as Mary Todd Lincoln

Angle was a little extreme, but not problematically so for a rewatch. Betty fills in admirably for Cole, changing the tenor of some scenes in ways that tickled my brain. Still a great show! Excited to see what Tituss brings to it too.

Tituss Burgess as Mary Todd Lincoln

The cast is sick and understandably not calling out because people will be mad about their expensive tickets - way to be troopers, but honestly Tituss doesn’t have the voice for it right now 😞

Even if he did I think this is definitely on the “entertaining but at the expense of the show itself” side of stunt-casting. Some of the humor is overtly deemphasized in favor of “it’s funny that Tituss is doing this,” up to and including a couple of plot details of varying significance.

Accordingly, I probably wouldn’t recommend this version for a first-timer, especially since you have more chances to see it with Cole. But I had fun as a returning viewer! I’ve officially seen it too many times.

Tituss Burgess as Mary Todd Lincoln

My visiting friend wanted to see it. After the show, he echoed an opinion I had heard before that, for people in the alt-comedy/drag spheres, this is pretty tame. Those aren’t my wheelhouses but I can believe it. (He liked it anyways.)

I’ve ended up at this show more times than I’d like. (Feeling sort of tepid about how I’ll inevitably go again at some point for more cast changes.) Nice to hear Tituss’s voice in better shape than during his first run. I still don’t think he’s my preferred Mary, but a worthwhile change-up if you liked it with Cole.

Jane Krakowski as Mary Todd Lincoln