Cole Escola’s ‘Oh Mary’ is a Night of Absolute Lunacy (Review)
metroweekly.comOh, Mary!, Escola’s hit play which marketing materials tout “finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln through the lens of an idiot.Although they may not be immediately recognizable, Escola appeared on the TV shows Difficult People, At Home with Amy Sedaris, and Search Party.
They also have writing credits on HBO’s Hacks and The Other Two.With Oh, Mary!, Escola has penned a fast-paced vehicle that revives and evokes the classic stage camp that was so prominent in the 1980s with actors like Charles Pierce, Charles Ludlam, Everett Quinton, and Charles Busch.With nothing to do but mope around the White House and drink paint thinner, Mary Todd (Escola) turns to her frenemy Louise (Bianca Leigh) for company and companionship.
So what if they threw her down the stairs and set her house on fire? Daffy and reliable Louise attempts to take the burden off of President Lincoln (Conrad Ricamora) as he wages war with the South. “The South of what?”, a dim Mary asks repeatedly.As Louise, Leigh is picture-perfect propriety, dressed in a simple, elegant southern dress with sky-blue edges, a delightful foil to Escola’s hysteria as Mary.
James Scully is wonderful as the dashingly handsome and patient acting teacher who tries to impart thespian wisdom to Mrs. Lincoln — ultimately, a hopeless cause, even though he scores Mary an audition for the play Our American Cousin.Tony Macht competently serves as Lincoln’s right-hand assistant, always militant and willing to serve the Commander-in-Chief (in more ways than one).Ricamora, who has a knack for playing politicians (he recently portrayed Filipino leader Ninoy Aquino in Here Lies Love), rounds out the cast as the leader of the free world.
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