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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Oh, Mary!

Cole Escola as Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary!

121 Christopher St, New York, NY 10014, United States

“So stupid. So campy. So unexpected. And yes, like Mrs. Lincoln, even sensational,” wrote Joshua Barone in his New York Times review of Oh, Mary! This dark comedy by Cole Escola imagines its protagonist, Mary Todd Lincoln, as a rowdy, alcoholic cabaret singer married to a gay president. Played by Escola, Mrs. Lincoln is funny, inappropriate, and over the top, but she leaves audiences wanting more. Highly stylized, the play reminds us of how far good theater can go. Set during the tail end of the Civil War, Oh, Mary! stays true to only one historical event: the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. —Jeanne Malle