Cole Escola's OH, MARY! to be Presented at the Lucille Lortel Theatre This January

A limited Off-Broadway engagement will be presented of Oh, Mary!, a new and ridiculous comedy written by and starring Cole Escola (in their Off Broadway debut), the award-winning, viral writer and comedian known for “Search Party,” “The Other Two,” and more. The limited eight-week engagement begins previews on Friday, January 26, 2024 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street), ahead of a February 8 opening night, with performances running through March 24, 2024. 

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).

The performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday - Friday at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 5pm and 8:30pm, and Sundays at 2pm and 5:30pm. There will be one show on Sunday, January 28 at 7:30pm. Tickets, beginning at $59, are available now at OhMaryPlay.com.

Oh, Mary! is directed Off-Broadway by Sam Pinkleton, and produced by Kevin McCollum & Lucas McMahon and Mike Lavoie & Carlee Briglia by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Theatre. The full creative team for the Off-Broadway production includes dots (Scenic Design), Cha See (Lighting Design), Holly Pierson (Costume Design), Daniel Kluger (Sound Design and Original Music), Drew Levy (Sound Design), and David Dabbon (Musical Arrangements). Casting by Henry Russell Bergstein, CSA. Gowns for Cole Escola by Astor Yang.

Additional casting for Oh, Mary! will be announced at a later date. 

Cole Escola

 is a comedian, actor, and writer who recently appeared on Vanity Fair's list of "The 25 Best Performances of 2023" for their work in their self-produced special, "Our Home Out West," a fake TV pilot for a 70's western which they wrote and starred in, available on YouTube. They can be seen in Amanda Kramer's Please Baby Please, the opening film of the 2022 Rotterdam International Film Festival. They starred in the fourth season of the HBO Max series “Search Party” as “Chip,” Alia Shawkat's demented kidnapper. Cole was also the recipient of a 2020 Writers Guild Award for Comedy/Variety Sketch Series for “At Home with Amy Sedaris” (on which they both wrote and appeared as Amy's mischievous neighbor, Chassie Tucker.) Previously, Cole played “Matthew” on Hulu's “Difficult People” (on which they also wrote) and had recurring roles on “Man Seeking Woman” (FXX), “Girl Boss” (Netflix), and “Mozart in the Jungle” (Amazon). Recurring voiceover roles include the Netflix animated series “Big Mouth” and “Human Resources.” Cole consulted on “Hacks” for HBO and also wrote on the Broadway Video series “The Other Two” for Comedy Central. They were the co-creator, writer, and star of the lo-fi cult-hit TV show “Jeffrey and Cole Casserole.” They also appeared on the Showtime series “Ziwe,” for which they were also a writer. Cole was named the Best Sketch Comic of 2020 by the New York Times for their self-produced special, “Help! I'm Stuck!” which they filmed alone in their apartment during quarantine. It can be found on their YouTube or their Instagram @coleescola. 

Sam Pinkleton

is a Tony Award-nominated director and choreographer. His recent work includes Stephen Sondheim's final musical Here We Are (The Shed),The Wizard of Oz (ACT San Francisco), the world premiere of Noah Diaz' You Will Get Sick (Roundabout), a party version of the Go-Go's musical Head Over Heels starring Alaska 5000 (Pasadena Playhouse, co-directed with Jenny Koons), Liz Swados' Runaways (City Center Encores + Shakespeare In The Park), and Jeanine Tesori and David Henry Hwang's Soft Power (Public Theater, CTG). On Broadway, his work includes Macbeth; Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Tony Nomination); Machinal; Heisenberg; and the musical adaptation of Amélie. He has created original musical work with a diverse roster of collaborators including Courtney Love, Todd Almond, Swing Left, Cirque du Soleil, Nickelodeon, BAM, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Dutch National Opera. With collaborator Ani Taj he created Untitled DanceShowPartyThing (Virgin Voyages) and choreographed the upcoming musical film The End, starring Tilda Swinton.  

ALCHEMATION

is a theatrical, film, and television production company founded by producer Kevin McCollum, who received the Tony Award for Best Musical for Rent (1996), Avenue Q (2004), and In The Heights (2008). Lucas McMahon joined the company in 2012. Current: SIX (Broadway, North American tours); Mrs. Doubtfire (UK and North American tour); Peter Pan Goes Wrong (U.S. tour); Olivier Award-winning The Play That Goes Wrong (Off- Broadway); Mischief's Mind Mangler (Off-Broadway). Past productions include The Drowsy Chaperone (Broadway, Tony Award nominee for Best Musical), Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Broadway and LA), Motown The Musical (Broadway, London, North American tour), Something Rotten! (Broadway and National Tour, Tony Award nominee for Best Musical), Hand to God (Broadway, Tony Award nominee for Best Play), Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?! and Mike Birbiglia's The New One (Broadway and U.S. Tour).  Film/TV credits include: Steven Spielberg's West Side Story (20th Century Studios), Mike Birbiglia's The New One (Netflix), and the cult hit web series “Submissions Only.” Upcoming: Days of Wine and Roses (Broadway 2024), The Notebook (Broadway 2024), The Devil Wears Prada (London 2024), and Night At The Museum.

MIKE & CARLEE PRODUCTIONS

is Mike Lavoie and Carlee Briglia. They were described as the people with “The Power To Propel Comedians to Netflix” in New York Magazine's “The Most Powerful New Yorkers You've Never Heard Of” 2023 cover story. They specialize in commercial Off-Broadway productions, several of which have transferred to Broadway and live on as specials for Netflix, HBO and other networks. Recent shows include Rachel Bloom: Death, Let Me Do My Show, Kate Berlant's KATE, Alex Edelman: Just For Us, Colin Quinn: Small Talk, Alison Leiby: Oh God, A Show About Abortion and Jacqueline Novak: Get On Your Knees.

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