Oh, Mary!
Original Broadway windowcard, photo by Daniel Rampulla
Written by	Cole Escola
Characters	Mary Todd Lincoln Mary's Husband Mary's Chaperone Mary's Husband's Assistant Mary's Teacher
Date premiered	February 8, 2024
Place premiered	Lucille Lortel Theatre
Original language	English
Genre	Comedy
Setting	White House,Washington, D.C., 1865
Official site

Oh, Mary! is acomedy play written and originally performed by American comedianCole Escola.^[1] The show opened onBroadway on July 11, 2024, at theLyceum Theatre, transferring from itsoff-Broadway run at theLucille Lortel Theatre,^[2] earning critical acclaim and being named a finalist for thePulitzer Prize for Drama.^[3][4] The show was nominated for fiveTony Awards, winningBest Direction of a Play as well asBest Actor in a Play for Escola, the firstnon-binary winner in the category.

The play is a spoof of the lives ofAbraham Lincoln andMary Todd Lincoln. It is set in the days leading up toLincoln's assassination, which occurred while he and Mary were watchingOur American Cousin atFord's Theatre. The show portrays Mary as a temperamental alcoholic, stuck in an unhappy marriage with thedeeply closeted President Lincoln and desperate to return to her past glory days as a cabaret star.^[5] The title is taken from aslang phrase used among gay men going back decades.^[6]

Under the direction ofSam Pinkleton, the play premiered Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre on February 8, 2024,^[7][8] with previews beginning January 26, 2024.^[9] The show had a planned closing date of March 24, 2024; however, due to high ticket sales and critical acclaim, the play extended twice, first from March 24 until May 2, and then until May 12.^[10] The main poster and Playbill design (yellow background with red and black lettering and the tagline "The Greatest Play of the Generation" over a circular photo of the lead performer in character) used for both the off-Broadway and Broadway productions ofOh, Mary! is a close reference to the promotional design for the original production ofLillian Hellman's 1939 playThe Little Foxes.^[11]

On April 24, 2024, it was announced the show would transfer to Broadway for a limited run at theLyceum Theatre.^[12][13] The Broadway production marked Escola's Broadway debut as both a performer and playwright. Previews began on June 26, with a run originally scheduled from July 11 to September 15.^[14] However, on July 23, 2024, due to popular demand, it was announced the show would extend its run through November 10.^[15] On September 19, 2024, it was announced the show would extend through January 19, 2025.^[16] The show features original music byDaniel Kluger and arrangements by David Dabbon. Scenic design is by the design collective known asdots with costumes by Holly Pierson and Astor Yang (original off- Broadway production costumes for Cole Escola.).^[17] In December 2024, the run ofOh, Mary! was extended a third time to June 28, 2025, andBetty Gilpin was cast as Mary, replacing Escola.^[18][19][20] Subsequently Phillip James Brannon replacedConrad Ricamora as Mary's Husband and Chris Renfro replacedJames Scully as Mary's Teacher.^[21]

Tituss Burgess replaced Gilpin for a temporary engagement in March 2025.^[22][23] Escola rejoined the cast on April 8, 2025,^[22][24][25] as did Ricamora and Scully.^[24][25] Days after the 2025 Tony Nominations, ticket sales were extended to September 28, 2025 and Burgess was once again to replace Escola as Mary in a limited 6-week engagement to begin in June.^[26] On June 18, ticket sales were extended through January 2026, and the production also announced that performerJinkx Monsoon would replace Burgess in the lead role for eight weeks between August 4 and September 27.^[27][28] On September 2, actressJane Krakowski was announced as the replacement for Monsoon for a limited engagement between October 14 and December 7; understudy Hannah Solow was announced as the interim lead between Monsoon and Krakowski's runs as Mary.^[29][30] On November 18, 2025, it was announced that Monsoon would return to replace Jane Krakowski for a limited 30-performance run starting January 8, 2026.^[31] On December 11, 2025, it was announced thatJohn Cameron Mitchell would follow Monsoon's run for a 12-week limited engagement starting February 3, 2026.^[32]

On October 2, it was announced the production would transfer to London for itsWest End premiere at theTrafalgar Theatre.^[33] The production began previews on December 3, with an official opening on December 18, 2025,^[34][35] running until April 25, 2026. Pinkleton is set to return as the director withMason Alexander Park starring as Mary. Also starring in the cast areGiles Terera as Mary's Husband, with Kate O'Donnell as Mary's Chaperone, Oliver Stockley as Mary's Husband's Assistant, andDino Fetscher as Mary's Teacher.^[33]

In January 2026, the producers ofOh, Mary! announced that the play would go on anational tour starting in late 2026, premiering inHartford, Connecticut.^[36][37] The tour will also include performances inBoston,Chicago,Las Vegas,Los Angeles,Philadelphia,San Francisco, andWashington, D.C..^[37]

• Mary Todd Lincoln:Betty Gilpin,^[18]Tituss Burgess,^[22][23]Jinkx Monsoon,^[27][28]Jane Krakowski,^[29][30]John Cameron Mitchell^[38]
• Mary's Husband:Kumail Nanjiani^[39]
• Mary's Teacher:Michael Urie,^[39]Cheyenne Jackson,^[40]Simu Liu^[41]

Joshua Barone ofThe New York Times described it as "silly, nasty, tasteless and, in the end, good theater." He described how the play stretches a "stupid joke" to its limits but still leaves audiences "gagging" with laughter.^[42]

Amelia Merrill of theNew York Theatre Guide emphasized the campy, irreverent nature ofOh, Mary!, calling it both absurd and heartwarming. She pointed out how Escola's reinterpretation of Mary Todd Lincoln, though not historically accurate, explored the First Lady's mental health struggles through comedy.^[43]Jesse Green ofThe New York Times echoed these sentiments, noting the play's deft combination of camp and discipline. He praised the production for finding a balance between chaotic comedy and choreographed precision. Green also called it "one of the best crafted and most exactingly directed Broadway comedies in years" despite Escola's own admission that it's "the stupidest play."^[44]

Howard Miller ofTalkin' Broadway emphasized the show's success in balancing a "queer-infused raucous, farcical, campy" energy while maintaining emotional depth beneath its absurdity.^[45]Sara Holdren wrote forVulture that "Oh, Mary! is hilarious and, underneath the mayhem, both structurally rock solid and sneakily moving",^[46] while aVariety reviewer described the play as "a broad, wildly funny comedy" that was also irreverent.^[47]TheWrap wrote: "Escola has somehow managed to turn the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln into an inspired, rollicking comedy."^[48] Adam Feldman, forTime Out New York, gaveOh, Mary! a five-star rating, saying that the play "is dizzyingly, breathtakingly funny, the kind of funny that ambushes your body into uncontained laughter."^[8]

However not all reviews were positive, with critic Michael Sommers writing forNew York Stage Review giving the play 2 out of 5 stars describing the script as "flimsy" adding it's more of "a ribald cartoon more hysterical than historical".^[49]

• Abe Lincoln in Illinois
• The Last of Mrs. Lincoln
• The Day Lincoln Was Shot
• Lincoln
• Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln

• Official website
• ​Oh, Mary!​ at theInternet Broadway Database

• 2024 plays
• Broadway plays
• Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln
• Cultural depictions of first ladies of the United States
• LGBTQ-related plays
• Musical parodies
• Plays set in Washington, D.C.
• American satirical plays
• GLAAD Media Awards winners

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use American English from October 2025
• All Wikipedia articles written in American English
• Use mdy dates from October 2025
• Official website not in Wikidata