Hi, I'm Palipilino!
New York, New York
1/7/2026
I don't see a lot of plays in general; I just tend to prefer musicals for one reason or another. Perhaps I like how you can always listen to the music after, so you can sort of take a piece of a show you really care about with you after you leave the theater, whereas you'll find it harder to have like, a monologue in your pocket or something. Maybe I just like the drama and the showmanship. Either way, I've seen over 50 different musicals I think, and maybe only a handful of plays in comparison. But with all the hype I heard about Oh, Mary, it just seemed like something I had to see. You know it's a big deal when I actually buy tickets to a show that aren't for a lottery...
I should probably preface this by mentioning that, in spite of all the star power that represented Mary Todd Lincoln during the course of this show's run, I believe I saw it with an understudy who was filling in the space between some more prominent castings. Which is great, by the way! We love supporting understudies and swings and everything. I knew what I was getting into, so I'm not bitter about it. The only reason I mention that is because I've heard that these different high-profile Mary's have each brought their own unique flavor to the role, which I can't really comment on one way or another.
That being said, I still enjoyed it very much for the most part! It was definitely one of the more bizarre things I've ever seen on Broadway, and I can appreciate that this show is kinda pushing the boundaries in that way. I do think that...while I wouldn't say Mary was the weakest part of the show, I think Abraham and Mary's Tutor (if you know you know) both stole the show in their own way, and I enjoyed a lot more of the humor based around them, or when they were on stage, compared to when Mary was up to her own antics. Don't get me wrong, a lot of the show was undoubtedly hilarious, and if Oh, Mary! deserves any plaudits, it's for how unabashedly over-the-top it is, seemingly without caring about what anyone else has to say about it.
It's definitely not subtle or tasteful or...anything like that, and so much of Oh, Mary! works because of that! But it's an 80 minute show, and even with such a brief runtime, there are definitely moments where it gets old. It plays out more as a set of skits, so when the premise for the skit is good, it can be gutbustingly funny. But some of them definitely feel like they're going on too long, or riffing off the same punchline over and over. It's definitely an inconsistent show, if overall still very enjoyable.
Perhaps the most amusing bit of Oh, Mary! is the ending, where it's revealed that Mary was the one to assassinate her husband, blame John Wilkes Booth, and then breaks into a 10-minute poorly sung cabaret number. It's undoubtedly the most ridiculous part of the show (and that's saying something), and it feels like something that, on paper, that would get old fast. But somehow it never did? I don't know, I've seen this part of the show be a tad bit divsive in reviews of it, but I loved it. Maybe it was just too gay for some people??? Or maybe I'm biased because Mary shocked me by including a Belle & Sebastian song in her repertoire...
While not all of Oh, Mary! landed for me, I did think it was a very entertaining show overall and I'm glad I got the chance to see it! It's about what I expected while also, of course, being completely unpredictable. I'm glad that it was a nice, condensed show; I can't imagine this premise filling a full 2 hour run time with an intermission, after all. Certainly ridiculously enough to justify seeing even if the premise doesn't appeal to you! For me, a great play and a great introduction to the work of Cole Escola, who I'm looking forward to seeing more from.