Title:Oh, Mary!
Location: Lyceum Theatre
Written By: Cole Escola
Summary: A ridiculous farce about first lady Mary Todd Lincoln, if she were an alcoholic former cabaret star.
Highlights: This play has been THE buzzy show for almost two years, so much so that tickets were impossible to get and never for less than $300. Playwright Cole Escola, who also originated the title role, won the Tony for best actor (as did director Sam Pinkleton) and was nominated for best play, and has since been replaced in the role of Mary by a parade of stars like Jane Krokowski, Titus Burgess, and next up: Maya Rudolph (expect ticket prices to skyrocket again). But things have calmed down enough that I was able to get discount tickets at the TKTS booth in Times Square. If I can't see Cole, there's no one I'd rather see as Mary than John Cameron Mitchell, the original Hedwig and the Angry Inch (as my friend said, JCM walked so that Cole could run). Such a thrill to see him on stage, and hear Hedwig's voice when Mary (spoiler alert) returns to the cabaret. But this is a five-person show, not a one-person show, and the whole cast is great: John-Andrew Morrison as Mary's husband is so great reacting to John's insanity, Jenn Harris is adorable as Mary's put-upon companion, Tony Macht is delightfully deadpan as Lincoln's assistant (the only original cast-member still in the show), and Simu Liu as Mary's teacher is a movie star who fits right in with this broadly theatrical cast.
The beautiful thing about this show is there's no redeeming quality, there's no deeper message, it's just pure ridiculous fun. It's so brilliantly stupid, high farce with over-the-top performances in outrageous situations. If there is any deeper meaning, it's a celebration of the fact that we live in a country where we can enjoy an outrageous comedy about one of the most tragic periods in our history - the Civil War and the assassination of a president. What if John Wilkes Booth was motivated not by racism, but as a spurned jealous lover? What if Mary was an alcoholic who was bored with her life and longed to return to her days as a cabaret star (even though she had no talent)? The 80-minute play is smartly constructed as a series of scenes, each more ridiculous than the last, that end on a punch line followed by an abrupt blackout. Most of the play takes place in Lincoln's office, with a few scenes in a saloon or theater, scene transitions smoothly handled with a short scene that happens in front of the curtains while the set is being changed behind it. This show really is brilliant at what it is, fast and efficient, not overstaying its welcome. Oh, Mary! is just pure comedy, laughs, and joy. And you don't have to go to New York to see it, Mary and friends are coming to St. Paul in January!
*Once again, I'm using an abbreviated Fringe-style summary for my NYC 2026 trip, since I am in the greatest city in the world with much more exciting things to do than write! Click here to see all of my Broadway-related blog posts.
