Theatre
Review
Review: Oh, Mary!
Mason Alexander Park is a livewire in Cole Escola’s riotous take on Mary Todd Lincoln
Oh, Mary! has been a runaway success on Broadway, originally scheduled for less than two months of performances and extended time and time again, set to hit its two-year anniversary in February. Acclaimed it may be, but an American historical piece isn’t always the sort of thing that plays well with West End audiences. Luckily, Oh, Mary! isn’t too concerned with history.
Instead, Cole Escola’s play comes to the Trafalgar Theatre riding a wave of irreverence and gleeful farce. Escola’s script goes like a rocket, short scenes always building towards a lights-out punchline, with twists that elicit pantomime gasps from the audience. Oh, Mary! takes the popular image of Mary as a troubled woman and terrible wife, and transforms her into a frustrated cabaret star, escaping into alcohol and dreaming of running off to perform her madcap medleys on the stage. Just like the traditional clown, her larger-than-life comedy blankets a deep sadness – which luckily doesn’t prevent her from being outrageously funny.
Mason Alexander Park is a total delight as Mary. Pinballing between mischief, apathy and sudden anger, they stomp around the stage, hooped skirt and ringleted hair bobbing, and seek out entertainment by tormenting their long-suffering companion (Kate O’Donnell) and begging their exasperated husband to unlock the cage. Giles Terera’s Abraham Lincoln has problems enough of his own, closeted and trying to resist his gay urges by making deals with God. When he attempts to quiet Mary down with acting lessons, a convoluted plot ensues that ultimately leads to his infamous shooting in the theatre – the only historical detail that Escola’s script is sure of, and even then it doesn’t play out quite how the audience expects.
With Lincoln gone and Mary unleashed, the final minutes of the show are devoted to her longed-for cabaret act, with Park making their way through a truly unpredictable medley of songs in absolute euphoria. Escola has confirmed in several interviews that they did little to no research before embarking on the project. It doesn’t take long for Oh, Mary! to convince you that this was the right decision.
Oh, Mary! is playing at the Trafalgar Theatre until 25 April 2026 – find tickets here
