Oh, Mary!

Oh, Mary! is a dark comedy play by Cole Escola that reimagines Mary Todd Lincoln as a miserable, hard-drinking woman trapped in a suffocating marriage to Abraham Lincoln. Set in the weeks before the assassination, the fictional story follows Mary's chaotic attempts to escape her duties as First Lady and pursue her true dream of becoming a cabaret performer. The play runs about 80 minutes and leans into absurdist humor and deliberate anachronism, treating a revered historical figure as a deeply flawed, profane, and hilariously relatable character.

The production premiered off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre before transferring to Broadway's Lyceum Theatre, where it opened on July 11, 2024. It quickly became a word-of-mouth hit, earning five Tony nominations and winning two: Best Actor in a Play for Escola (the first non-binary performer to win that category) and Best Direction of a Play. The show also was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. After its Broadway run, it moved to London's West End, where it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play in 2026.

As of August 2026, the Broadway production continues with a rotating cast of star performers. Comedian Meg Stalter played Mary through September 12, 2026, and Bowen Yang, known for Saturday Night Live, will make his Broadway debut in the role starting September 15, 2026. Yang reportedly turned down the role once before agreeing to take it on. The play remains a stage-only work, with no announced film or television adaptation. [edit]