NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Cole Escola appeared at the 79th annual Tony Awards on June 7<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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Speaking to New York Magazine<\/em>, the Oh, Mary!<\/em> writer-performer joked that all the stars playing Mary Todd Lincoln in the play “hate each other”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n- \n\n
“That’s what I want,” they added. “Show business is built on spite.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Cole Escola<\/a> encourages competitiveness in theOh, Mary!<\/em><\/a>community.<\/p>\nThe writer-star of the hit Broadway play joked that the various performers taking on the role of Mary Todd Lincoln “hate each other” at this year’s Tony Awards<\/a> on June 7.\u00a0<\/p>\n“They are competitive with each other,” quipped Escola, 39, in a video<\/a> shared by New York Magazine<\/em> from the red carpet. The titular role in the Sam Pinkleton-directed production now playing at the Lyceum Theatre is currently occupied by Maya Rudolph<\/a> in her Broadway debut<\/a>.<\/p>\nHacks<\/em> star Megan Stalter<\/a> will take over<\/a> the role for a 10-week engagement starting in July.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\nMaya Rudolph in ‘Oh, Mary!’
Credit: Emilio Madrid<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
Escola \u2014 wearing<\/a> a voluminous coordinating set with ruffles and a bow in bright pink \u2014\u00a0jokingly said, “You should see some of the things that Maya has said about Meg Stalter, some of the things Maya has said about me.”<\/p>\nRudolph, 53, “has been the most competitive so far, I would say,” they added.<\/p>\n
The twist is that Escola encourages the kind of desperate cattiness that the onstage Mary Todd Lincoln herself embodies. “That’s what I want,” the Tony winner told New York Magazine<\/em>. “You know, it keeps it alive. And show business is built on spite, is what I always say.”<\/p>\nNever miss a story \u2014 sign up for <\/strong>PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nOh, Mary! <\/em>reimagines Mary Todd Lincoln as a hard-drinking woman dreaming of becoming a cabaret star. It originated Off-Broadway in January 2024 before appearing in its Broadway iteration that June.<\/p>\nAn eclectic list of stars have succeeded Escola in the show: Betty Gilpin<\/a>, Tituss Burgess<\/a>, Jinkx Monsoon<\/a>, Jane Krakowski<\/a>, John Cameron Mitchell<\/a> and longtime understudy Hannah Solow have each played the titular role. The production is also currently playing an Olivier Award-winning run in London’s West End.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"Cole](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/F51EC0097EEBEC95FDAF9E688CF194E62FBA0C8B5B3642320042CC4C2EB193FF\/subgraphmysterio\/resizefit_w960_h640;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Faol_people_articles_471%2F107f2f71e333dfd9bd9ed2b016f1c1e9\"\/)
<\/div>\nCole Escola in ‘Oh, Mary!’
Credit: Emilio Madrid<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
“I feel like I’m just going to kind of wing it<\/a>,” Stalter, 35, told PEOPLE at The Abbey 35th Anniversary Party 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.”<\/p>\nThe 2026 Tony Awards air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.<\/em><\/p>\nRead the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Cole Escola appeared at the 79th annual Tony Awards on June 7<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
Speaking to New York Magazine<\/em>, the Oh, Mary!<\/em> writer-performer joked that all the stars playing Mary Todd Lincoln in the play “hate each other”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n “That’s what I want,” they added. “Show business is built on spite.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Cole Escola<\/a> encourages competitiveness in theOh, Mary!<\/em><\/a>community.<\/p>\n The writer-star of the hit Broadway play joked that the various performers taking on the role of Mary Todd Lincoln “hate each other” at this year’s Tony Awards<\/a> on June 7.\u00a0<\/p>\n “They are competitive with each other,” quipped Escola, 39, in a video<\/a> shared by New York Magazine<\/em> from the red carpet. The titular role in the Sam Pinkleton-directed production now playing at the Lyceum Theatre is currently occupied by Maya Rudolph<\/a> in her Broadway debut<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hacks<\/em> star Megan Stalter<\/a> will take over<\/a> the role for a 10-week engagement starting in July.\u00a0<\/p>\n Maya Rudolph in ‘Oh, Mary!’ Escola \u2014 wearing<\/a> a voluminous coordinating set with ruffles and a bow in bright pink \u2014\u00a0jokingly said, “You should see some of the things that Maya has said about Meg Stalter, some of the things Maya has said about me.”<\/p>\n Rudolph, 53, “has been the most competitive so far, I would say,” they added.<\/p>\n The twist is that Escola encourages the kind of desperate cattiness that the onstage Mary Todd Lincoln herself embodies. “That’s what I want,” the Tony winner told New York Magazine<\/em>. “You know, it keeps it alive. And show business is built on spite, is what I always say.”<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for <\/strong>PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh, Mary! <\/em>reimagines Mary Todd Lincoln as a hard-drinking woman dreaming of becoming a cabaret star. It originated Off-Broadway in January 2024 before appearing in its Broadway iteration that June.<\/p>\n An eclectic list of stars have succeeded Escola in the show: Betty Gilpin<\/a>, Tituss Burgess<\/a>, Jinkx Monsoon<\/a>, Jane Krakowski<\/a>, John Cameron Mitchell<\/a> and longtime understudy Hannah Solow have each played the titular role. The production is also currently playing an Olivier Award-winning run in London’s West End.<\/p>\n Cole Escola in ‘Oh, Mary!’ “I feel like I’m just going to kind of wing it<\/a>,” Stalter, 35, told PEOPLE at The Abbey 35th Anniversary Party 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.”<\/p>\n The 2026 Tony Awards air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.<\/em><\/p>\n Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Credit: Emilio Madrid<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>
Credit: Emilio Madrid<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n