Oh Mary! Oh My

Feb 13, 2026 by The Jewish Voice And Opinion Staff

By The JV&O Staff

Oh, Mary! an absurd, farcical romp by Cole Escola that reimagines Mary Todd Lincoln as a cabaret-obsessed, alcoholic First Lady set in the days before Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Escalo shows the Presidential couple engaging in debauchery, showing Lincoln is a closeted gay man plagued with lustful desires. Although he prays and promises to contain his desires, if only there can be an end to the war, this is a promise he seems unable to keep. Mary is oblivious to the world, unaware of the Civil War. She is bored with life, family and filled with dreams of stardom. Escola creates a situation that is preposterous and hilarious, and offers an unexpected flip to the historical narrative. This 80-minute one-act play received Tony Awards for Best Leading Actor in a Play (Cole Escola) and Best Direction of a Play (Sam Pinkleton), Drama League Awards for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Direction of a Play.

We were curious to see for ourselves what this dark comedy was all about. Oh, Mary! is off the charts irreverent. Featuring a talented cast, it truly hits the mark. The theater was filled with non-stop laughter.

The South of What?

Mary Todd Lincoln lives in her own world, oblivious to the events taking place around her. Played in our show by the talented John Cameron Mitchell, an effervescent, expressive, and over-the-top actor, pulling facial expressions that words cannot describe. Mary fights her inclinations to drink herself to death to escape the boredom of a loveless marriage. To occupy his wife, Mary’s husband (John-Andrew Morrison) hires a companion, Louise (Jenn Harris), but Mary tries to dispose of her by throwing her down the stairs, ‘Because it’s hilarious.’ To keep her occupied, she is offered acting lessons. Her acting coach, an unaccomplished actor (Simu Liu, in his Broadway debut), fills her with desire.

The show creates an improbable, yet interesting situation, which culminates in Lincoln’s untimely death, shot in the theater, before segwaying into a cabaret performance with Tony Macht (Making his Broadway debut as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant) at the piano, and John Cameron Mitchell on center stage. His performance was extraordinary and entertaining, although it was not necessary to further the storyline. It does parallel the preshow music, providing a fitting way to tie the performance together.

This off-color show is not for everyone.

Oh, Mary! delivers a farcical, far-fetched view of history, structured in a melodrama-esque style. By using short sequences framed to deliver a punch. Every aspect of this performance is considered to deliver the greatest impact, leaving the audience agasp.

Reimagining Mary’s Story

According to historical records, Mary Todd Lincoln was not a refined public figure, exhibiting mood swings and outbursts, likely due to mental illness and grief over her children’s death, this is the jumping off point for this show, a bitter woman, who turns to liquor as an escape from her tedious existence, egging Louise to reveal her fantasies, and flaunting them in her face. Sexual innuendos run rampant throughout the show, creating a non-historically accurate, tantalizing perspective of the personal life of Honest-Abe and his wife. It offers an unconventional theory, framing the 19th-century predilections of Lincoln’s private life in a 20th-century context, where sexual lines are blurred at best.

This five-member cast was incredibly talented. Conjuring a novel spin on ‘history’. Electric, eccentric, and audacious. While this is not your typical Broadway comedy, we found it highly entertaining.