Meg Stalter Makes Her Broadway Debut in “Oh, Mary! ”as “Hacks” Costar Jean Smart Cheers Her On

Dave QuinnTue, July 7, 2026 at 1:15 PM UTC

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Meg Stalter and Jean Smart post after Stalter makes her debut in ‘Oh, Mary!’ on BroadwayCredit: Bruce Glikas/Getty -

Meg Stalter made her Broadway debut as Mary Todd Lincoln in the comedy Oh, Mary! at the Lyceum Theatre

Jean Smart, Stalter’s Hacks costar, attended the opening night afterparty to celebrate her performance

The role was previously played by Maya Rudolph and written by Tony winner Cole Escola, with Stalter performing through Sept. 12

Meg Stalter officially made her Broadway debut on Monday, July 6, and she had one of her biggest supporters by her side to celebrate.

The Hacks breakout, 35, marked her first performance as Mary Todd Lincoln in the hit comedy Oh, Mary! with an afterparty attended by her Emmy-winning costar Jean Smart. The actresses posed together for a photo during the celebration following Stalter’s opening-night performance at New York City’s Lyceum Theatre.

It was a sweet show of support from Smart, who starred opposite Stalter on Hacks during the acclaimed HBO comedy’s five-season run, which concluded in May. Stalter played Kayla Schaefer, the delightfully chaotic assistant-turned-manager whose offbeat energy made her one of the show’s most beloved characters, while Smart led the series as legendary comedian Deborah Vance.

Smart’s visit comes a year after she made headlines for her own return to Broadway. Earlier this year, the six-time Emmy winner led the world premiere of Jamie Wax’s Call Me Izzy,marking her first Broadway appearance in 25 years. Smart, 74, previously earned a Tony Award nomination for the 2000 revival of The Man Who Came to Dinner, while her Broadway debut came in 1981 when she portrayed Marlene Dietrich in Piaf.

Now, it was Stalter’s turn to take a Broadway bow.

Meg Stalter during curtain call for her first performance in Broadway’s ‘Oh, Mary!’ on July 6, 2026Credit: Bruce Glikas/Getty

The comedian stepped into the title role of Oh, Mary!, succeeding Maya Rudolph, whose limited engagement concluded July 5. Stalter will remain with the production through Sept. 12.

Written by Tony Award winner Cole Escola and directed by Tony winner Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary! reimagines former First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln as a frustrated, hard-drinking woman desperate to escape the White House and pursue her true dream of becoming a cabaret star. Set in the days leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, the wildly inventive comedy has become one of Broadway’s most celebrated hits.

Since opening at the Lyceum Theatre in July 2024, the production has broken box-office records, earned critical acclaim, expanded to London’s West End. Escola originated the role of Mary before a succession of stars stepped into the part, including Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess, Betty Gilpin, Hannah Solow, John Cameron Mitchell and two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon.

Meg Stalter in ‘Oh, Mary!’ on BroadwayCredit: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

Stalter previously told PEOPLE that it was Monsoon’s performance that first made her realize she wanted to play the role herself. “When I saw it and I saw the amazing Jinkx do it, and I was like, ‘I’ve never felt more connected to a character,’ “ she said.

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That connection was evident when her casting was announced earlier this year.

“When I first met Cole Escola, they said, ‘I thought I was too old to feel this excited and giddy about a new friend,’ and that’s exactly how I felt when I met Mary Todd Lincoln for the first time,” Stalter said in a statement at the time. “I’ve never seen myself in a character the way I see myself in Mary.”

PEOPLE recently premiered an exclusive look inside rehearsals for Stalter’s Broadway debut, where the comedian appeared right at home embracing the role’s signature chaos. She also joked that she wasn’t approaching the opportunity with too much pressure.

“I feel like I’m just going to kind of wing it,” she told PEOPLE in May. “I don’t think I’m going to even learn the lines because I feel like you just get up there and kind of like, do it.”

“I’m the queen of improv,” she added with a laugh.

Meg Stalter in ‘Oh, Mary!’ on BroadwayCredit: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

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Joining Stalter in the company are Barrett Foa as Mary’s Teacher and Ryo Kamibayashi as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant. Obie Award winner Phillip James Brannon continues as Mary’s Husband, while original Broadway cast member Bianca Leigh remains in the role of Mary’s Chaperone. Hannah Solow, Martin Landry, Julian Manjerico and Jackie Sanders round out the cast.

Tickets for Oh, Mary! are on sale now.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”