Frontmezzjunkies reports: Fresh from her triumphant turn as Judy Garland, Jinkx Monsoon returns to the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in the West End’s wildest comedy
By Ross
Not every casting announcement makes me grin the moment I read it, but this one certainly did. Fresh from watching Jinkx Monsoon deliver one of the most astonishing stage performances I have seen this year as Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow, London audiences are about to receive another remarkable gift. Beginning August 17, Monsoon returns to the West End to reprise her acclaimed Broadway performance as Mary Todd Lincoln in Cole Escola’s deliriously funny Oh, Mary!at Trafalgar Theatre, continuing through September 26.
When I reviewed End of the Rainbow, I wrote that Monsoon “electrifies” the stage and delivers a performance that is “fearless, heartbreaking, hilarious, and utterly unforgettable.” Every moment seemed to balance astonishing comic instincts with profound emotional honesty, making it impossible to look away. It is exactly the combination of qualities that audiences and critics celebrated when she first stepped into Oh, Mary! on Broadway, and it makes her return to the role feel like an event rather than simply another casting announcement.
Written by Cole Escola and directed by Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary! imagines the final days of Mary Todd Lincoln through an outrageously irreverent comic lens, transforming one of American history’s most recognizable figures into a wildly unpredictable theatrical creation. The production has become one of Broadway’s great recent success stories, with an ever-growing list of remarkable performers taking over the title role. Broadway is currently welcoming “Hacks” star Meg Stalter before Bowen Yang (“Wicked“) puts on that iconic black gown beginning September 15, but London audiences now have the chance to experience one of the performers who helped define Mary’s wonderfully unhinged spirit on Broadway.
As delighted as I am by this announcement, it also carries a small sting. Once again, I am going to miss seeing Monsoon in Oh, Mary!, just as I missed her Speaking of Witch tour after catching End of the Rainbow. Still, I can’t be everywhere and in every country all at once, yet knowing what she is capable of onstage makes it impossible not to be excited for everyone who will be sitting in those West End seats over the next several weeks. If my evening with Judy Garland proved anything, it is that Jinkx Monsoon possesses that rare ability to make every performance feel completely alive. I have little doubt Mary Todd Lincoln is once again in wonderfully unpredictable hands.