Oh, Mary!

by Cole Escola

2025 Tony Award® Nominee for Best Play.
Finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Now in performances on Broadway.

THE STORY: Mary Todd Lincoln is tired of Washington, DC. The nation's capital is so boring; she would much rather be onstage, where she belongs, starring in a cabaret. And if she can't do that, she might as well drink. Or push her chaperone down the stairs. Or drink. The entire White House is fed up with Mary's antics, most of all her bore of a husband, who can't focus on anything except his silly Civil War. To get her out of his hair, Abe hires a handsome, up-and-coming actor to give Mary acting lessons, hoping to keep her busy and out of trouble, but the distraction ends up working a little too well. A riotous, campy, outrageous comedy that dares to ask: What won't Mary Todd Lincoln do to be a star?

Genres: Plays, Historical Fiction, Theatre, LGBT, Fiction, Queer, Humor

49 pages, Paperback

Published April 18, 2025

Reviews

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theatre is just fewer feathers and flatter shoes.
Oh, Mary! ~~~ Cole Escola



Some initial thoughts on Cole Escola’s Oh, Mary!: Escola is obviously a fan of burlesque and vaudeville. Oh, Mary! plays like an extended sketch ~~ a CAMPTASTIC sketch. He’s clearly a fan of Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball and Lou Costello. As funny as this script is on paper, I can envision that it must be even funnier in person due to Escola’s comically manic performance and brilliant comic timing.

As for my opinion: Cole Escola’s Oh, Mary! is the funniest script I’ve read in 20 years. It is a consistently hilarious script. Not an easy feat considering Mary Todd Lincoln is not exactly the most comical of characters.



The heart of Oh, Mary! is Mary Todd Lincoln ~~ an alcoholic, bitterly unhappy, First Lady who aspires to return to the world of cabaret ~~ where she may or may not have been a star. In Mary’s world, we’re never quite certain what the truth is. Don’t look for meaning or accuracy here ~~ Oh, Mary! is meant to entertain, and entertain it does. I was laughing out loud at the absurdity of the situations ~~ to share them here with you would only spoil the joy of reading Oh, Mary!



Writing Oh, Mary! as a one act and holding the running time to under 85 minutes was a genius move on Escola’s part. There is no filler here ~~ Oh, Mary! is quickly controlled with nary a false move or unnecessary word in the script. Oh, Mary! plays at a blistering pace.



What Cole Escola accomplishes here is a master class in comedic writing. They deliver a nonstop stream of laughs.

There is an energy and immediacy that leaps off the page. The energy of live theater can only magnify this brilliance. Cole Escola deserves every accolade they have received for Oh, Mary!.

[Doug]

I'm not going to rate this because even though it's been unanimously acclaimed by everyone who has seen it - I didn't find the SCRIPT to be all that amusing or clever (I think I chuckled 3 X). I'm sure it plays much, MUCH better, so it's hard to be judgmental without having seen it performed - but it kind of reminded me of a lesser Carol Burnett skit.

[gurvy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really hope that this show gets a tour and that Cole Escola plays Mary because after reading this, all I can think is "I NEED to see this on stage." It is so unique, so specific, so lean and tailored to Cole's personality, I can only IMAGINE how electric it is on stage. Having only read it, I know I'm truly missing out, but at least I can feel like I'm a part of it. Damn you, New York City. Always so far away from my house. Digressing - Plays are meant to be seen! Still, a major work. I, too, don't understand Miranda's obsession with logs in The Tempest 🤷‍♂️. I cannot wait to read (or hopefully have a chance to see) whatever Cole has in store for us next!

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Fantastic. So much fun. There is so much packed into this tight play. Oh, Mary, indeed!

[Kristi Hovington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was laughing or gasping for much of the show, so it’s wonderful to read the text and see what I missed. Cole Escola forever.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's very clear that reading a script instead of watching a play is like reading a recipe instead of tasting the food, especially in the case of Oh Mary, which is certainly funny and goofy on the page but leaves more of an impression along the lines of "wow, I really got to see this on stage." It's fun as hell, though, all the way through and worth a read if you, like me, will probably never get the chance to see it because shit is too expensive anymore.

[Rachel Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was this a 50 page script? yes but will I count it towards my goal? also yes

I wish I could experience seeing this again for the first time because the plot twists are just TOO good as surprises and so shocking and funny it just will never hit the same if I see it again. However, I would still see it again because it was sooooo stupid funny.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up because I would eat this UP live
so so so goofy with a very specific brand of humor that really shows off all that theatre can be, best script I've read in a while, just fab

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The South of WHAT?!

[Ellen Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the BEST and funniest plays I have read in AWHILE.

[M.K. Scotti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Mother (Cole Escola)!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an absolutely fun, chaotic play about Mary Todd Lincoln, who aspires to go back to her career of being a cabaret star after Abraham Lincoln (basically) struggles to satisfy her. While I knew the pages would be hysterical (as this is a comedy), I completely didn’t expect all the twists and turns that took place within them. Cole Escola is truly a remarkable talent for penning this idea to paper. I would absolutely love to see this show live sometime, but I live nowhere near New York City & traveling Broadway plays are a rare occurrence in relation to the musical ones. My only critique of this script as to why it’s four stars instead of five is that, sometimes, I wished Escola had written like… More of a description in how certain lines were said or what the body language of their character was doing when they said them - in order to set some of the tone. However, maybe a lot of those things, the delivery of it all, just depends on the actor playing whoever and is more improvised since the script is so set. I don’t know. That was just the only thing that I could’ve done more with. I had to sometimes make guesses as to what the actor might’ve been doing (which was fun for the imagination!), but I would’ve liked something a little bit more concrete in terms of that.

[Jacob Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The funniest play I’ve ever seen. Lucky enough to watch Cole do their magic. Reading the play isn’t the same, but it took me right back to watching it. It’s such a tidy play. I loved the notes at the beginning:
1) Protect all of the surprises of the show.
2) Don’t let the audience get ahead of the story.
3) The stakes are high and everyone means what they say.

[Caitlyn DeRouin · Rating 1 out of 5]

i'm assuming it's funny on stage?

[Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

EGOT

[Mel Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

reminded me that reading plays on the page without seeing it in person can be funny, can be whimsical, can be perverse, and can really get the point across even if i’m not in the room with Cole

[Mandee · Rating 2 out of 5]

i'm sure this is funny onstage. i believe in cole escola's completely batshit energy! unfortunately it reads like an snl sketch that's actively bombing.

[Dayna Cheatham · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it! laughed the entire way through, i wanna see it depending on what the casting is. so good, i understand the hype!

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

saw a year ago on Broadway, Cole Escola's mind!!!

[caro · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the best play ever written

[Anna Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliantly funny on stage and in print

[Abby]

unfortunately would just like to see the play more

[Ben Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

God this play is expertly hilarious. Saw this with Jinx Monsoon but my roommate gave me a copy of the script and I was laughing my ass off all over again.

[Liam Arne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously fabulous

[Elise Xu · Rating 5 out of 5]

so funny, so unexpected. masterful!!!!!!!!

[tan ✮⋆｡°✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

comedy done so good wowowowowooww

[Kat White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced, gasp worthy reveals and funny! Wish I could see this live!

[Sofía · Rating 5 out of 5]

No notes, no comments, just perfect. Long live Cole Escola!!!

[Kaci May-Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

saw this last week on Thursday and immediately knew I needed the physical copy to cherish forever so marcie and I went to the drama book shop to get the script before getting rush tickets to see the show again (from box seats) on Sunday!!! and then Jane krakowski signed our copy after the show and marcie and I talked about how it's so easy to read it and picture the lines being read and the physical gags (especially after seeing it twice) and now it's like the play will live on forever in my brain!!!

this is written so perfectly and beautifully like Cole is a genius and I cannot wait to see what else they write in the future!!! a hilarious, campy ROMP (dare I say) that manages to retain an emotional center and pathos that enhances the story with a deeper meaning <3

[Samuel P · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious and concise musical comedy. I unfortunately have not seen the production. I've only experienced this play script, so I'm limited to my personal interpretation of the story. Since I haven't been exposed to much of this genre, I can't tell if it's particularly good or bad, but I had a lot of fun reading it and left with no critical notes.

Abraham praying to God that he would stop with his homosexual thoughts and acts if only certain things came to pass, and then his subsequent failure on his promises hit very close to home. During my own time spent in the closet, I had my fair share of similar conversations with God. I am thrilled that such an authentic queer experience made its way into the script.