Theater has always been political. Some of the biggest Broadway hits of the last few decades have explored political issues, like “Rent,” “Come From Away” and “Hadestown.” Others have taken on the American political system itself, including “Hamilton,” which focuses on the Founding Fathers, and “Suffs,” a new musical about the women’s suffrage movement. But Broadway’s latest political story comes from one of the most unexpected sources — a play so campy and absurd that for just 90 minutes, you’ll forget about the political chaos we’re living in and find some joy in the chaos onstage.
The play in question is Cole Escola’s “Oh, Mary!,” a madcap comedy about the life of Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s beleaguered wife, in the days leading up to her husband’s assassination in 1865. This version of Mary Todd, played masterfully by Escola, is an alcoholic diva, prone to rages, who longs to return to her past life as a cabaret star. Escola, who started their career as a cabaret performer in New York, is a force of nature, channeling their years of experience onstage into their first Broadway production. Originally scheduled for a six-week off-Broadway run that started in February, Escola’s play quickly became a crowd favorite, transferring to the Broadway stage this summer.
“Oh, Mary” is a decidedly ahistorical play, as if a U.S. history textbook was sent through a paper shredder and then carefully reconstructed by Carol Burnett, Pee-wee Herman and the stars of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Mary, decked out in curls and a massive hoop skirt, has no interest in her husband’s work and doesn’t even seem to grasp that there’s a war going on — when Abraham (the wonderfully expressive Conrad Ricamora) reminds her the country is at war with the South, she replies, “the South of what?!” Mary wants nothing more than to return to the stage, but her husband refuses to take her seriously. He looks for ways to distract her from her cabaret dreams — first, with Louise (Bianca Leigh), a chaperone meant to keep Mary’s chaos in check. This doesn’t work, as Mary nearly bullies her chaperone to tears and reminds her husband that she once threw Louise down a flight of stairs.
When Louise’s interventions fail, Abe arranges for Mary to take acting lessons, but she finds a way to sabotage this plan as well, as she falls in love with her handsome acting teacher (James Scully) and struggles her way through monologues from “The Tempest” with a comically bad Scottish accent. The President has plenty of his own issues, too, as we learn that he is hiding his true sexuality and is distracted by a young assistant (Tony Macht), who he often calls into the Oval Office for private ‘meetings.’ Ricamora plays Lincoln like you’ve never seen him before — still stately and devoted to his work, but with several added layers of rage, lust and inner turmoil that come to surface in some of the play’s most hilarious moments.
Conrad Ricamora, Cole Escola, and Bianca Leigh are pictured in "Oh, Mary!" at the Lyceum Theatre.
With “Oh, Mary!,” writer-star Escola has gifted Broadway with one of its funniest shows of the last decade — audiences will be hard-pressed to find another show with more laughs per minute. Escola’s version of Mary is both completely absurd and incredibly endearing — nowhere else will you see a First Lady who drinks paint thinner, actively ignores her own children and tells jokes about ice cream so risqué that I can’t publish them in this review. Escola is also a master of physicality, wildly gesticulating and prancing around in their comically large skirt. After standing on her husband’s desk to deliver a monologue during an acting lesson, Mary struggles to dismount the desk, and Escola turns what should be a perfectly normal moment into comedy gold. On top of all the slapstick and raunchy humor, there are some genuinely surprising narrative twists in the play’s final scenes that are best left unspoiled.
Masterfully directed by Sam Pinkleton, “Oh, Mary!” moves like a well oiled machine. Pinkleton gives the five-person cast the freedom to make the most of the comically large Oval Office set. Pinkleton’s background in dance is apparent — the one act play is a parade of perfectly choreographed chaos that never lets up for a minute. Every design element is wonderfully campy, from the disco-pop show tunes that play before the show begins to the well placed spotlights that display the cast’s reactions to Mary’s antics. The actors’ overdramatic facial expressions are matched perfectly by the play’s style, with piano transitions between scenes that evoke the style of an old Charlie Chaplin film.
While it’s no secret that all theater is political, “Oh, Mary!” reminds us that all politics is theatrical too. When a politician gives a speech, they are delivering a carefully rehearsed performance in an attempt to win over their audience. But Escola’s play has absolutely no interest in delivering a serious political message. Instead, “Oh, Mary!” demonstrates the incredible power of theater to simply make us laugh and escape from our problems for a while. In the play, Abraham criticizes Mary for her love of cabaret and suggests that she focus on “legitimate” theater instead. Escola has surely dealt with similar criticisms in their own career, and this play is their response to those critics. A college dropout with no professional theater training, Escola is not your typical playwright, and “Oh, Mary!” is not your typical play — that’s exactly what makes it so special.
“Oh, Mary!” is playing now through Jan. 19 at the Lyceum Theatre in New York.
