Directed by Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary! is a dark comedy starring Escola as a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Unrequited yearning, alcoholism and suppressed desires abound in this one act play that finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln through the lens of an idiot (Cole Escola).
In the world of camp, heterosexuality is the biggest joke of all. Except in “Oh, Mary!” On any other stage, Escola’s Mary would steal the show, but fellow actors Conrad Ricamora and James Scully often snatch it right back. And both actors have the far more challenging role of playing a man who wears trousers. (The lavish costumes are designed by Holly Pierson.) The Playbill credits Ricamora and Scully as “Mary’s Husband” and “Mary’s Teacher,” respectively. Escola is an equal-opportunity offender, and lampoons gay sex even more than the straight variety.
Lines like this might not come across on paper, but the effect is indeed hilarious when Escola spits them from Mary’s puckered mouth. Lincoln (Conrad Ricamora), meanwhile, spends his time searching for the opportunity—as he explains to his compliant orderly—to “let off some steam.” His hands are also full, of course, with that war with the South. “The south of what?,” Mary repeatedly asks. And it’s funny every time.
2024 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Premiere Production Off-Broadway |
2024 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play | Conrad Ricamora |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Disinguished Performance | Cole Escola |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance | Conrad Ricamora |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Sam Pinkleton |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Play | Oh, Mary! |
2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play | Conrad Ricamora |
2024 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play | Cole Escola |
2024 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Award | Cole Escola |
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