Jake Shane isn’t done with Broadway.
The “Therapuss” host and actor recently made his Broadway debut in Simon Rich’s “All Out: Comedy About Ambition” opposite Nicholas Braun, Ray Romano and Jenny Slate.
“It was like one of those moments where I was like, ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this,’ Shane told me at Vanity Fair’s Vanities Young Hollywood party Wednesday night at Bar Marmont, adding, “At the end, it hit me all at once and I was like, ‘I want to do this again and again for the rest of my life.’”
His dream role? Mary in “Oh, Mary!”
Cole Escola’s Tony winning comedy reimagines First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln as an alcoholic dreaming of becoming an aspiring cabaret singer. It takes place just days before the assassination of Abe Lincoln.
While Escola insists he doesn’t think there’s any chance of him being cast in “Oh, Mary!, he said “It would be incredible, but like that’s the dream. If you’re asking what the dream is, that’s the dream…I do have the theater bug now. It’s a real bug and I have it.”
“Oh, Mary!” originated off-Broadway before moving to Broadway in 2024. The show was nominated for five Tonys, wining best actor in a play for Escola and best direction of play for Sam Pinkleton. Following Escola’s run, Mary has been played by Jane Krakowski (October 2025–January 2026), Jinkx Monsoon, Tituss Burgess, Betty Gilpin and John Cameron Mitchell. It was announced earlier this week that Maya Rudolph will take over the role on April 28.
Other bold-faced names who have appeared in various parts include Simu Liu, Kumail Nanjiani, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Cheyenne Jackson and Michael Urie.
Earlier this month, Shane was named as one of Variety’s 10 Creators to Watch. He also recently signed as the chief creative officer of the German candy company Katjes. His film debut “Wishful Thinking” will premiere at this year’s SXSW.
