Alaska, the actor and comedian best known from RuPaul’s Drag Race, is preparing to take on the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in Cole Escola’s Tony Award–winning comedy Oh, Mary! and will join the show on a four-month tour across the United States.
On a brisk September afternoon in a small rehearsal room in midtown Manhattan, Alaska presented a composed, old-Hollywood poise — sipping hot tea from a flask while seated on a hard-shell travel case and sitting bolt upright, an image she said reflects a practiced discipline. She is in the midst of several weeks of rehearsals in the city before the production departs for its national run.
Alaska spoke candidly about prejudice and visibility in the entertainment industry, encapsulating some of the frustrations performers face when crossing between drag and mainstream Hollywood. "A dog would get treated better than a drag queen in Hollywood," she said, framing her comments around broader questions of acceptance and the politics of queer representation.
Despite those challenges, Alaska said the opportunity to play Mary Todd Lincoln in Escola’s subversive comedy was irresistible. When asked how she managed the upheaval of moving from her Los Angeles home for the production, she laughed and referenced the Coneheads’ home planet: "I would go to the planet Remulak for this show. I didn’t even think about it. I was just like, ‘Let’s make this happen.’"
The role places Alaska at the center of a play that critics and audiences have described as one of the more provocative works on contemporary American stages, and her casting underscores ongoing conversations about queer performers taking on historical and mainstream dramatic roles. As rehearsals continue, Alaska and the creative team will refine the production ahead of the national tour that follows the New York rehearsals.