Oh, Mary! at the Lyceum Theatre, New York City, July 11, 2024–January 19, 2025

I was intrigued by Oh, Mary! when I learned that it had made the leap from off-Broadway to the historic Lyceum Theatre in the heart of Times Square this past summer. Word of mouth from insiders in New York was already strong, and the show’s extensions — first into November and then January 2025 — solidified its status as a must-see. I managed to find an opportunity to catch the production before summer’s end.

Cole Escola, the star and creator of the show, is not quite a household name in the United States, despite their frequent collaborations with Amy Sedaris, both on her show, At Home with Amy Sedaris, and Escola’s own scripted original short films. Escola has openly stated they did no research for the play, a claim made during their appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. This irreverence is integral to the show’s identity and has been present in the promotional material. “Idiocy” and stupidity have been the keywords used to describe the show. The play leans heavily on slapstick, comedic misdirection, and Escola’s signature physical humor. The portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln — who serves as the central figure — feels as if it was lifted from a television sketch comedy, with its exaggerated gags and absurd redirections.

Escola’s performance, particularly the use of a hoop skirt as part of the physical comedy, evokes the charm of the trickster archetype. Their rendering of Mary is one that lacks introspection, and at times churlish with their partners on stage. The humor is broad and absurd, almost vaudevillian, with the performance resting on Escola’s mastery of comedic timing and exaggerated physicality. It’s easy to understand why audiences have embraced Oh, Mary! so wholeheartedly; its humor resonates with a sensibility that privileges momentum of comedy, and echoes some of the goofy irreverence of Amy Sedaris. Intriguingly, much of the audience for my viewing was significantly older. This may reflect general Broadway audience demographics, or it may indicate that Escola is becoming canonized in the American theater scene through this work.

The one-act format serves the production well, especially when it comes to the set design. Much like Escola’s previous works — Our Home Out West and Help, I’m Stuck! — there’s an economy to the staging that feels deliberate. The minimalism allows Escola’s humor to take center stage without distraction, proving that good theater doesn’t need grand spectacle to leave an impression. There’s something refreshing about watching artists transcend limitations with creativity, turning simplicity into a form of expression.

Searching for deeper meaning here, if you were inclined, is fruitless. There’s a brief moment where Mary Todd Lincoln reflects on how alcoholism offers an escape from the chaos of life, but this sentiment is not pursued beyond its initial utterance. Any moral thread is thin, fleeting, and ultimately subverted by the play’s larger commitment to spotlighting Mary’s half-deluded approach to any conversational turn. In this way, it is patently different from Escola’s self-published holiday special, Our Home Out West, which concludes neatly with a moral that positions Escola’s main character (a brothel madame) and the supporting lead (a child orphan) in a cruel Protestant social order. Our Home is not particularly historical either, but it does have more of a narrative through-line. Mary! Is just funny.

At the heart of the play is Escola’s physicality, which drives the action and defines the humor. The theatricality of Oh, Mary! is best enjoyed without searching for deeper historical or political accuracy. The Lyceum Theatre itself, with its Beaux-Arts decor, adds an interesting layer of juxtaposition. Opened in 1903, it is reminiscent of a time much closer to the events portrayed in the play, yet the show seems to purposely distance itself from engaging with any real history from that era. This detachment from historical accuracy is not a detriment to the work, but it is curious. The fact that the hottest Broadway show in 2024 centers around a presidential assassination, without any commentary on that from audiences, is interesting.

What’s fascinating is the contrast between Escola’s success on Broadway and their relatively modest online presence. Despite a wealth of original content on platforms like YouTube, much of Escola’s work still has very conservative numbers. Perhaps the intimacy of live theater elevates Escola’s humor in a way that digital content simply can’t replicate. After all, the sets of Oh, Mary! are simple enough to be recreated on a high school stage, but it’s Escola’s live performance that makes the production shine. It’s the energy and immediacy of live theater that seem to be the key to Escola’s Broadway success.

****

William Sarradet is the Assistant Editor for Glasstire.