As Cole Escola’s ‘Oh, Mary!’ Sidekick, Bianca Leigh Is Smashing Barriers And Getting Her Due

As one of the stars of “Oh, Mary!” on Broadway, Bianca Leigh is thrilled to be performing to sold-out crowds and garnering some of the best reviews of her career. Still, she’s aware it could very well be a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience that never happens again.
“It’s a funny feeling, saying that this is as good as it gets,” the actor, who is transgender, told HuffPost. “It’s odd when it’s happening in real time. I’m not a spring chicken, as my grandmother would say, so I’m very lucky this has happened, and I get to do what I want to do for the foreseeable future.”
Directed by Sam Pinkleton, “Oh, Mary!” broke box office records when it opened at New York’s Lyceum Theatre in July following an off-Broadway engagement earlier this year. On Thursday, the show ― originally set to close this month ― formally extended its run through January.
The historical farce depicts first lady Mary Todd Lincoln (played by actor-writer Cole Escola, who uses they/them pronouns) as a booze-swilling, lovesick woman who yearns to be a cabaret performer, and President Abraham Lincoln (Conrad Ricamora) as a closeted gay man with a predilection for trysts in the Oval Office.
Leigh’s character, Louise, is Mary’s chaperone and sole confidante in the White House. As it turns out, Louise is hiding a few secrets of her own beneath her demure, buttoned-up appearance.
Unlike many “Oh, Mary!” characters, Louise has no real-life counterpart. Instead, Leigh said, she represents “the model of 19th-century womanhood” that Mary Todd Lincoln was believed to have rejected during her lifetime.
“I sometimes think Louise is like Glinda the Good Witch or Olivia de Havilland in ‘Gone with the Wind’ because she’s just goodness and light and love,” she explained. “The more she wants to be close to Mary, the funnier it is when high jinks ensue.”
Though Escola has said they conducted “less than no research” before they sat down to write, some elements of “Oh, Mary!” appear to have a basis in historical fact. Released earlier this month, the documentary “Lover of Men” presents substantial evidence that Abraham Lincoln may have had relationships with men at the time of his presidency, though such claims have long been disputed.
Leigh, however, has some thoughts as to why the inherent queerness and camp humor of “Oh, Mary!” is resonating so deeply with audiences in America’s current political climate.
“It’s a bold, honest, wacky, silly act of defiance at a time when a lot of people are toning things down,” she said. “Cole has written something without fear in a climate that is extremely fearful. I’m thrilled to be the Ethel to their Lucy.”
Tickets for “Oh, Mary!” remain in high demand more than two months after it opened on Broadway. Those fortunate to have caught a performance so far include Robert Downey Jr. and Madonna, among other A-list stars.
One of Leigh’s favorite celebrity encounters, she said, was none other than Lea Michele.
“She was so warm and generous and delightful,” she said, shrugging off the long-standing claims about the “Glee” actor’s diva behavior behind the scenes. “I know phony. I don’t know what lessons were learned, but this is a lovely young woman with no pretension or attitude.”
A New Jersey native, Leigh has been a fixture on New York’s cabaret and stand-up comedy circuit for years. “Oh, Mary!” marks her return to Broadway after serving as Alexandra Billings’ understudy in the 2018 play, “The Nap.” In 2017, she also appeared in a one-night-only concert staging of the musical adaptation of “Tales of the City” on Broadway.
Like many LGBTQ performers, Leigh has grappled with her share of professional disappointments. In 2005, she appeared to be on the brink of a Hollywood breakthrough when she landed a featured role in “Transamerica,” starring Felicity Huffman.
The film was a critical hit, receiving two Oscar nominations. Despite the acclaim, Leigh didn’t get the professional boost she hoped for and remained relegated to what she described as a “specialty act” by casting agents.
So when Leigh was invited to participate in an early reading of “Oh, Mary!” ahead of its off-Broadway premiere, she said she was surprised when Escola said her “Transamerica” performance helped convince them she was right for the part of Louise.
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“My response, of course, was: ‘What took you so long?’” she quipped.
Though committed to “Oh, Mary!” to the conclusion of its run, Leigh said she has been involved in a number of developmental readings of new musicals. She’s also on a quest for a television role that will eventually provide residuals, or “fuck you money,” as she puts it.
“A lot of projects involving trans people are sad and tragic, and I’m a comic. I tend to play characters with bite,” she said. “So I’m going to keep plugging away, and if I don’t hit with something, I’ll be the old lady in the 2045 remake of ‘Titanic.’ That’s what I’ll do.”
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