J. Harrison Ghee will not rejoin the North American tour of Oh, Mary!, the production announced on October 16, a month after the Tony winner stepped away from the company on medical leave.
The tour is in San Francisco this week, at the Curran Theatre through November 1, before it moves on to the Paramount Theatre in Seattle (November 3–8) and the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles (November 10–December 6). Ghee had been cast as Mary’s Husband for the opening months of the tour, which launched at the Bushnell in Hartford, Connecticut, on September 19, and was then due to take over the title role when the company reaches the CIBC Theatre in Chicago on January 19, 2027, which would have made Ghee the first actor to play both parts.
In its announcement, the production said Ghee is stepping back to focus on health and treatment for kidney disease, that the decision was made in consultation with Ghee’s medical team, and that it has the production’s full support. When the leave was first announced in September, Ghee thanked the producers and the company “for the extraordinary support, care, and understanding they’ve shown me during this time.”
John-Andrew Morrison, the Tony nominee who has played Mary’s Husband since the tour opened, continues in the role for the rest of the tour’s first year. Alaska Thunderf*ck remains Mary Todd Lincoln through January 17, 2027, the final date of the Ordway Center engagement in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Casting for Mary from Chicago onward is to be announced in the coming weeks.
The touring company also includes Wesley Taylor as Mary’s Teacher, Pooya Mohseni as Mary’s Chaperone and Michael Lepore as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant. Cole Escola’s comedy is directed by Sam Pinkleton, and both won Tony Awards for the Broadway production, which is still running at the Lyceum Theatre. The play is also running in London’s West End, where it won the 2026 Olivier Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play.
Dates for the remaining tour stops, which run through May 2027, are listed on the production’s official website.
