Discover what is being said Cole Escola’s play that brings to life the personality of Mary Todd Lincoln with our review round up…
New York Theatre Guide: “Together with James Scully as Mary’s handsome drama teacher, Bianca Leigh as Mary’s long-suffering chaperone, and Tony Macht as Abe’s extremely pliant assistant, the entire ensemble elevates very silly jokes into a work of art that keeps you riveted from start to finish. Suffice it to say that when the lights went up after the curtain call, my guest and I agreed we had literally laughed until our faces hurt.”
New York Times: “may be silly, campy, even pointless, but “stupid,” I think not. Rather, the play, which opened on Thursday at the Lyceum Theater, is one of the best crafted and most exactingly directed Broadway comedies in years. Which is a surprise on many levels, and on each level a gift.”
New York Post: **** “What elevates “Oh, Mary!” from a hilarious and raunchy skit to an unexpectedly juicy yarn, though, is Escola’s oddly suspenseful plot. Multiple revelations get shocked gasps in this laugh-riot about that ol’ boozehound Mary Todd Lincoln.”
Time Out: ***** “Cole Escola’s Oh, Mary! is not just funny: It is dizzyingly, breathtakingly funny, the kind of funny that ambushes your body into uncontained laughter. Stage comedies have become an endangered species in recent decades, and when they do pop up they tend to be the kind of funny that evokes smirks, chuckles or wry smiles of recognition. Not so here: I can’t remember the last time I saw a play that made me laugh, helplessly and loudly, as much as Oh, Mary! did—and my reaction was shared by the rest of the audience, which burst into applause at the end of every scene.”
Talkin’ Broadway: “Beyond the wild and crazy ride that is the play’s content, along with the perfect comic timing of its polished performances, the production is blessed with excellent design elements, from the deliberately unfussy sets by the collective known as dots, to the flouncy take on period costumes by Holly Pierson, to the wonderful selection and use of music before, during, and at the end of the evening. Who knows how long this party will last, but by sticking steadfastly to its downtown vibe, Oh, Mary! has the makings of a genuine Broadway crowd-pleaser.”
Variety: “While the details of Mary’s madcap medley will remain a surprise, rest assured it is, surprisingly enough, both the deepest and silliest part of the show: camp incarnate. This finale is proof that cabaret might just be the superior storytelling art form after all, that it can be full of subtext, and maybe most importantly, that as the song goes, life is a cabaret, old chum.”
The Guardian: **** “Escola’s coup – the real liberation of the play – is to bring us so close to Mary’s white-hot rage, lust and delusion that we can’t help but root for her. Via the comedian’s saucer-wide eyes, dagger stares and slapstick impulses, this terminal case of main character syndrome deserves the hype, if not necessarily inflated Broadway prices for tickets, which are getting increasingly hard to come by. But that’s not Mary’s problem; she’s a star. Some would even say she’s sensational.”
Deadline.com: “No matter that you’ll come to expect those skirt twirls at regular intervals – like everything else in Oh, Mary!, it’s all in the timing.”
To book tickets visit: https://www.ohmaryplay.com/