Review of the Saturday, July 27, 2024 matinee performance at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City. A new play by Cole Escola. Starring Cole Escola, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Bianca Leigh and Tony Macht. Scenic design by dots. Costume design by Holly Pierson. Lighting design by Cha See. Sound design by Daniel Kluger and Drew Levy. Direction by Sam Pinkleton. 80 minutes no intermission.
NOTE: This is the kind of show best enjoyed spoiler-free, and I will do my best not to give anything away.
Last season's off-Broadway sensation is this Broadway season's hottest ticket, and with good reason. Somehow, almost impossibly, Oh, Mary! not only lives up to its hype, it exceeds it.
Playwright Cole Escola gives audiences just what it needs these days: an irreverent skewering of American politics that allows for a cathartic laugh. It is an 80 minute vacation crammed full of laughs, but also a tight plot with enough surprises to keep the sold out crowd leaning forward to catch every delightful morsel and to gasp at each riotous twist and revelation. Here is a pitch-perfect replica of the melodramatic style of theater prevalent in the mid-19th century, but with its heart firmly in the 21st century, and its acerbic tongue just as firmly in cheek.
Considering how much of it gets chewed at each performance, it is amazing that dots' clever period sets survive the onslaught of physical comedy punishment they take. Supplemented by Cha See's equally melodramatic lighting, and Holly Pierson's over-the-top costumes, Oh, Mary! is a visual feast befitting such an epic romp. Director Sam Pinkleton anchors the whole with deft use of the technical elements and a firm hand on the pacing and blocking that allows his cast plenty of wiggle room to play to the crowd while never going too far. It is no small feat to keep something like this in check, and I'm sure it helps that all involved are perfectly on the same page.
In a world where a Republican is in the White House (and its closets), Mary Todd Lincoln is at the center of it all, no matter what anyone else has to say about it. Who cares if the United States is in the midst of the Civil War? Mary is bored and desperate for a drink and a return to her former glory as a cabaret star. So much is she the center of this universe, the other characters are named Mary's Husband (Conrad Ricamora), Mary's Husband's Assistant (Tony Macht), Mary's Teacher (James Scully), and Mary's Chaperone (Bianca Leigh). Ms. Leigh is a delight as the prissy companion, much abused and harboring a delicious secret, while Mr. Macht is sweetly awkward, as he deals with his boss's private demands. The dashing Mr. Scully charms and manipulates as he insinuates himself deeper into Mary's life. He mines pure comic gold with each situation and shocking revelation. Ricamora is sensational as a much-maligned and personally troubled Abe Lincoln. Watching him code-switch between straight politician and queer icon is absolutely hilarious. Bravo to all.
The main attraction here, of course, is the titular Mary. A brilliant hurricane of manic energy with an infinite well of facial expressions and vocal pyrotechnics (and a hooped skirt/wig combination that is practically a character itself), Cole Escola is simply amazing. Like the great physical comediennes before them - Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett spring to mind - they are fearless and have a gift for making each moment seem new and spontaneous. They play the audience like a fiddle and we are grateful for the opportunity, especially during the side-splitting finale!
This could already be the performance of the season. Oh, Mary, you're a star!
📸: E. Madrid
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