Whatever one thinks about Oh, Mary! as a play – and for all its choppiness and messiness, it does offer some of the biggest bellylaughs in town – it memorably introduces a unique comic monster I hope we’ll see a lot more of. Where Peter Sellers had his Dr. Strangelove, Betty White had her Sue Ann Nivens and Sacha Baron Cohen had his Borat, author/star Cole Escola has their Mary Todd Lincoln: boozy, narcissistic, pottymouthed, and determined to strike out of the subordinate role into which history has placed her.
Escola, who has been packing them in at the Lucille Lortel downtown prior to this transfer to Broadway’s venerable (and Ford’s Theater-like) Lyceum, cops to having done little or no research on our 16th president’s melancholy spouse, and these over-the-top antics over 80 eventful minutes confirm it. This Mary’s unhappiness hinges not on family tragedies, for instance. (There’s many a hearty laugh at the notion that she gives a fig for her kids, or for the Civil War for that matter.) No, her despair is fueled by what she claims was a robust career as a cabaret performer, cruelly cut short by an ambitious husband’s lust for power. (I don’t recall that tidbit from Carl Sandburg’s Lincoln biography, though the tome would’ve been the livelier for its inclusion.)
O.K., so this isn’t the Mary Todd Lincoln we know. But that’s no barrier to recognizing the astonishingness of what Escola, this gifted artist, has crafted. Mary flounces about in designer Holly Pierson’s black taffeta hoopskirt with a seeming mind of its own, choosing to reveal multicolor panties at strategic moments. Her stringy curls (Leah J. Loukas deserves a special Tony for the wig alone) snap like a whipcrack with every suspicious glare or vicious putdown. The contortions to locate hidden hooch make Nic Cage in Leaving Las Vegas look like a teetotaler; and unlike Mary, Nic wouldn’t stoop to ingest paint thinner as a last resort. This remarkable creature is pure ego without a filter, and it’s a riot to see the Great Emancipator’s better half act out what we know secretly lies in many celebrities’ heart of hearts.
[Read Michael Sommers’ ★★☆☆☆ review here.]
She’s an original, but as with any original character, the auteur clearly owes debts. To the iconic campy Charleses Ludlam and Busch, for one, who rose out of Greenwich Village dives to boldly normalize the outré. Also present are the influences of TV’s classic sketchmeisters, from Carol Burnett to SNL, whose ability to nail a comic premise and get out with no time wasted is echoed in every sequence here. If I Love Lucy had been set in the nineteenth century, with Lucy Ricardo’s passion to get into show business raised to maniacal overdrive and the CBS censors asleep at the audio cutoff, you’d have something very close to Oh, Mary!
Acting the dominating diva first to last, Escola still proves most generous to the rest of the company, giving each hilarious quirks and opportunities to shine. As Mary’s companion (and snitch), Bianca Leigh always seems ready to bring calm reason to the scene until she lets go with some outrage. James Scully as Mary’s suave acting coach, and Tony Macht as the president’s gullible aide, make strong comic impressions while appearing downright normal by contrast with the star. And in the toughest supporting role, Conrad Ricamora ably walks the fine line between embodying a dignified archetype and hinting at nutty passions within. You can sense the real Abe there. Honest.
The script, and the direction of Sam Pinkleton (erstwhile choreographer of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812), start things off at too high a level that eventually leads to some lulls. And Mary’s character arc, while necessarily schizophrenic, could be laid out more cleanly. But with this many laughs and surprises at every juncture, who can be bothered to carp? Does the show merit multiple viewings during its limited run? And is there more than enough room and incentive for a sequel? Oh, Mary, don’t ask.
Oh, Mary! opened July 11, 2024 at the Lyceum Theatre and runs through January 19, 2025. Tickets and information: ohmaryplay.com
