JOEL ROSE, HOST:
On Broadway, the name on everyone's lips is Mary. That's Mary Todd Lincoln, specifically.
(SOUNDBITE OF PLAY, "OH, MARY!")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As Abraham Lincoln) For God's sake, Mary, how would it look for the first lady of the United States to be flitting about the stage right now in the ruins of war?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As Mary Todd Lincoln) How would it look? Sensational.
(LAUGHTER)
ROSE: The play "Oh, Mary!" is a truly outrageous reimagining of the life of Abraham Lincoln's first lady as a desperate alcoholic driven to the bottle by an unachievable yearning to become a cabaret star. The show has been packing New York's Lyceum Theatre not only for its over-the-top narrative and hilarious writing, but also for its casting.
The show's creator, Cole Escola, originated the lead role and won a Tony for it. Since then, there has been a truly star-studded rotation of actors, the likes of Jane Krakowski and Maya Rudolph. And the man behind all of the Marys is Henry Russell Bergstein. He has been the show's casting director since it premiered off Broadway. Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
HENRY RUSSELL BERGSTEIN: Hi. Thank you.
ROSE: You have been casting this show since the beginning, and when Cole Escola left, did you think it was going to be possible to fill their shoes?
BERGSTEIN: None of us were sure. We all knew that it was an incredible play. We had hopes that it could be done. It was sort of trying to find that magical alchemy of who that person could be and also being very purposeful in who the first person to do it was after Cole to sort of see if it could work.
ROSE: How do you think about casting the perfect Mary?
BERGSTEIN: It is a tricky question. I mean, I think all these performers that we've had play the role are very different. But at heart, they have a sort of unique, quirky take on life and roles, and all of them sort of bring something with them that can make the role sing. I don't know if the word wacky and access to wackiness is the right thing, but they also all have incredible acting chops. I tend to think that comedy can be a lot harder than drama. And there is both weight and drama to this role. You have to be able to play the seriousness of it and the earnestness of it at the same time as being able to play the comedy of it.
ROSE: So the next person who's going to tackle this role has gotten a lot of attention. It's Bowen Yang of "Saturday Night Live" fame, of course, and it will be his Broadway debut. What is he bringing to the role that you're excited about?
BERGSTEIN: He is going to bring his unique take on the world to it. You know, certainly in rehearsals, Bowen has soared, and we've all been like, oh, it was even better than we thought it was going to be. And we already thought it was going to be pretty great. So I'm just excited. This is the American theater, the live theater aspect of it. You totally don't get to see the final product until it's up in front of an audience.
ROSE: Is it exciting to still have that uncertainty about a show that has been up for several years now? For you and for the people behind the scenes, is it fun to be able to just, like, refresh it in this particular way?
BERGSTEIN: Oh, my God, that is maybe the most exciting thing about it. I mean, every time you go and see a new Mary, it is a different show. Look, the jokes are so funny, and the story, I think, is so moving, and that doesn't change, but the way it's played out does in a shocking way because it's the same lines. But somehow it's all new again because someone else is delivering those lines.
ROSE: We've talked in this interview already about some of the celebrity actors who've already played Mary. When you think about casting, are you at all concerned about the public seeing this as kind of a gimmick, rather than something that is, like, really an artistic and creative choice?
BERGSTEIN: We've tried - and I hope have succeeded - to not cast a name for a name's sake. I think you have to - I don't have to, but producers have to - think about, like, paying everyone in the box office and keeping the show running. And so, you know, there is a certain amount of, like, who is going to bring people into the seats? You know, we had very long lists that we sort of have looked at since the - when we realized, oh, my God, this is a thing, this is going to keep going - certainly, there are new names that come on and names that we didn't think fit at a certain moment that then down the road, we're like, oh, this is the perfect time for that person that we didn't think should do it then.
ROSE: Hey, can we get a peek at that list?
BERGSTEIN: (Laughter) I don't think so. It's - no, no one's getting a peek at the list. And it's in piecemeal now. We keep it separated in little clips, so no one can ever see the whole list at once, safely tucked away in different drawers.
ROSE: What is it like for you when you feel like it really clicks, and you feel like, yeah, I nailed it?
BERGSTEIN: You know, every time I go to see a new Mary, I'm always sort of slightly holding my breath at first, making sure that I did a good job and that - you know, that the actors are succeeding or sometimes mouthing lines along with them in the - from the back of the theater. And so I think when you see it and when it sings, you just feel very proud. I mean, you're very happy that you gave the show what it needed when you get to see actors shine and be a part of that moment of bringing the perfect role to the perfect actor. And I've had that gift multiple times on this show because of the way we've been casting Marys.
ROSE: Henry Russell Bergstein is the casting director of the hit Broadway play "Oh, Mary!" Thank you so much for - this was fun. Thanks for doing it.
BERGSTEIN: Thank you. I appreciate it.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
