Interview: 'You Feel This Joy At Letting Weird Be Wonderful!': Actor Scott Karim on Joining The Cast of OH, MARY!

Oh, Mary!, the hit comedy written by Cole Escola, has been taking the West End by storm since it opened last year. The show follows Mary Todd Lincoln [Mason Alexander Park], as she dreams of returning to cabaret in a world trying to force her into a box.

Recently, we had the chance to speak with Scott Karim, who has taken over the role of Mary’s Husband from Giles Terera. We discussed what made him want to be a part of this production, what made the rehearsal process unique and what he thinks makes this comedic play so special. 

So how did you first get started in the world of theatre?

It was all a bit of happenstance for me! I first got started in a very lucky way, in that when, in the ate 80s, mid 90s, when big musicals were kind of in their heyday in London, I got to see a lot. There was a lot of enthusiasm, so I got exposed young. I probably saw Phantom about seven times, Les Mis about eight times . . . Miss Saigon was my favourite. And then it went dormant. 

I was just a bit shy with it all until fast forward, I was at uni, and I had a keen ambition to join the army. That's a different lifetime, really! When I let go of that, I was a bit lost, and I saw a sign up for an audition for a uni production.  I did a big pivot and tried to get into drama school. Didn't get to drama school, but the bug was there. So it persisted, and I’ve been enjoying and toiling with it ever since. 

The thing that's really tough about theatre is it's really hard to describe the good that's in it. It's easy to intellectualise it. But something that happens when you go and see something live feels like it expands your whole existence for a brief little window, and then you come out. You look in someone's eyes and go, “Oh yeah.” It happens with all things that are like shared experiences. It's easy to just judge the thing you're watching for better or for worse, but that thing happens where you feel part of this transient, and you go, “I want that again.” That's the bug, isn't it?

And what made you want to be a part of this production of Oh, Mary!?

I am ashamed to say that I had no idea about Oh, Mary!, which is an indictment against me. Unequivocally, with this show, there's no show that is both making audiences and the people working on it so happy. So I didn't know about it, but I did a thing I've never done before, which was read about three-quarters of the script, and I saw it the following night. What made me want to be in Oh, Mary! was seeing Oh, Mary!. Cole, Sam [Pinkleton, Director], all the people involved since the inception, through to the moment that it came, have just nailed it in terms of making it as magical as possible - creating that special quality, making it feel unique. It feels rare, right now, if I'm being honest. 

It's a brave show. Even in the casting, it's a quick casting process. They trust their instincts on this show, and that proliferates throughout for everyone else. It's a “Don't you dare second-guess yourself” kind of environment. I felt that when I saw the show. It had an abandon to it, a bravery and a relish for seizing the performance, rather than a worry about how that might land, which is a thing that is hard not to have when costs of things are tough. So I like taking a leap, but also, you want to make smart risks. And this felt like a very smart risk, because of the quality, but also the silly abandon.

For those who might be unfamiliar with Oh, Mary!, can you tell us a bit about it and the role that you play?

It focuses on Mary Todd Lincoln, and in and of itself, that's a fun idea, because you're focusing on the First Lady rather than the President. So to speak in a bit of abstract, Oh, Mary! is a show where they focus on a very individual woman who is in a situation. People have a lot of ideas about what that situation is, but we get to really acquaint ourselves with it through the eyes of one soul trying to be as happy and as big a soul as they could be. They could be a very happy big soul, but there's lots of stuff going on, like the Civil War. Things are just getting in the way. So it's like a cockeyed review of a thing that we all think we know about, but it's going to happen very differently, because we're seeing it through the eyes of Mary. 

Regardless of all of the specificity of this show, it's just a riotous comedy in a setting you think you know, but it will keep you on your toes, and both surprise you and also scandalise you. It's both political and not political. It somehow manages to be both at the same time. It's so impressive. The magic of any storytelling is not just that you suspend disbelief, but you don't think it's worth trying to figure out what's going to happen next, because it's more fun to just go with it. And these days, a bit of you wants to go, “All right, what's going on here?” Your brain wants to kick in and kind of spoil the fun. Whereas in this, you give over. There's no way you could see something coming because you're not looking, because you're too much on the merry-go-round of it all - it just grabs you with it. 

What was the rehearsal process like for the show?

It was really quick compared to anything I’d done. I was in an unusual situation, because when I came in, there wasn't a full cast change - it was just me slotting in. So it was quite good that it was so quick, because I had to hit the ground running. So it felt from the beginning, like I was trying to get match-fit for the show, rather than feeling out fully. I loved how quick it was. Don't get me wrong - in the wrong context, it could have been terrifying! Because of that tailwind of brave, instinctual, creative choices, I was like, “That's what we're doing. Okay, cool.” And it was quite fun!

If people think you're weird, then make it special and go for it! It's that ethos, and then rehearsals as well. It’s moving towards being bold and silly and released. But they really supported me. Everyone knows that it works, and there's a gentle ushering you into the things that you need to learn so you're up to speed with this rapid, busy show. 

But also, there's an amazing freedom for expression, because a big part of the show is that whoever they cast in it, it's fun to let their energy come through with the way they're going to do it. It has a lot of space. So it weirdly felt like trying to fit into a band. I felt like trying to fit into a band and make sure I play it my own way, but get up to scratch quickly, because it's a silly ensemble of a show with Mary at the middle of it. The rehearsals are really about you just being in the place you need to be when you get to opening night. And on this one, if it had been longer, I'd have got anxious, because you just jump into the crazy. 

And you’ve been in the show for a few weeks now. How have performances been going?

The first Monday felt like holding on to an exhilarating ride. The second Monday felt like trying to figure out what the heck's going on, and then the third Monday, for the first time, felt like me realising that was a waste of time, just to have a lot of fun with it! The reason why it's so fun for me as a performer is I love when the thing is challenging enough, but also joyful enough that you feel like people. It's a bit like skiing down a slalom and doing jokes on the way down - you hit them fast, so inevitably, one of them might not be just as perfect as you're planning it to be. But there's a real joy in being in something like that, where you know you can't really nail it. You can get close, and you try and repeat that again and again, knowing that the people watching it are hopefully enjoying the whirligig of all that.

My favourite theatre is watching people pull off things, yet they're not just doing tricks. I want to be impressed, but it should be about the audience. And the show is very much about the audience, whilst giving the lunatics on stage a chance to pull off a bit of ambitious, brave stuff. I heard Mason say, you go into this hyper-focused, and that is so fun to do again and again. Sometimes it feels really special, because you have a lot of attachment - emotional or even just with people in the cast. Here, it's more just that. It genuinely is so much fun, and I know how rare they are. The show's been going great because I'm having a whale of a time, and I sense that the audience are too. 

What do you hope the audience takes away from Oh, Mary!?

The thing that I hope other people take away from it, because it's meaningful to me, is that there's a joy and a power in being yourself and doing that generously. You find a way to be as big and silly and amazing and fun, but do it with a thing that you're committed to. You get to feel this joy at letting weird be wonderful, letting your freak fly. For me, that's the heart of the show. It's about people, even in a very serious time, like the Civil War, finding a bit of colour. And it's not a coincidence that this is a show that has come from the queer community! People come away from it feeling a little bit happier to be mad and weird and themselves.

And finally, how would you describe Oh, Mary! in one word?

Scandalous! It will scandalise you away from your loftier notions of oneself. A word that is mentioned in the show is a “hoot.” In order to have a hoot these days, I've got to feel a bit good. I'm not easy to give over to things these days, whereas this feels like your brain turns off. It's a hoot because it's good -  it's good for you to give over to the earnest, but not pretentious joy that's just pouring out the bloody thing.