Catherine Tate exits West End run of Oh, Mary! for personal reasons

Catherine Tate has withdrawn from the West End production of Oh, Mary! before completing her scheduled run at London’s Trafalgar Theatre.

The British actor and comedian, 56, had been appearing as Mary Todd Lincoln in the hit comedy and was due to remain in the role until 18 July. Producers confirmed her departure in a statement posted to the show’s official social media accounts.

“Due to personal reasons, Catherine Tate is no longer able to complete her run as Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! at the Trafalgar Theatre,” the statement said.

Mason Alexander Park, who originated the role in the West End staging, will return to the part for the remainder of Tate’s planned performances. Cole Escola, the writer of Oh, Mary! and star of its original Broadway production, is scheduled to take over from 20 July.

The play, which began off-Broadway in 2024 before becoming a major commercial and critical success, offers an irreverent and deliberately ahistorical take on Mary Todd Lincoln, the wife of US president Abraham Lincoln. Its bawdy, absurdist approach has helped make the production one of theatre’s most talked-about recent comedies.

The title role has become a showcase part for a wide range of performers. Previous actors to play Mary include Betty Gilpin, Tituss Burgess, Jinkx Monsoon, Jane Krakowski, John Cameron Mitchell, Maya Rudolph and Megan Stalter. Monsoon, best known to many audiences from RuPaul’s Drag Race, is also due to join the West End production after Escola’s stint, following a Broadway run in the role.

Oh, Mary! has already collected major awards on both sides of the Atlantic. Escola won the Tony Award for Best Actor for the Broadway production, while the play was also nominated for Best Play. In London, the show won the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play after transferring to the West End.

Critics have praised the production’s anarchic style, which blends farce, queer performance and gleeful historical distortion. Reviewing the show last year, The Independent’s chief theatre critic Alice Saville described it as occupying “a genre of its own,” while noting that its over-the-top finale leaned into the same theatrical excess that defines its central character.

No further details have been given about Tate’s departure.

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