'Less Than None': Cole Escola Reveals How Much Lincoln Research They Did for Broadway-Bound Oh, Mary!

Cole Escola's Oh, Mary! is officially Broadway-bound with performances at the Lyceum Theatre set to begin June 26 after the Off-Broadway premiere wraps up May 12. The viral YouTube star, writer, and comedian dropped by Late Night With Seth Meyers May 7 to talk about bringing the downtown hit to the Main Stem, revealing that they did "less than no research" into Mary Todd Lincoln before endeavoring to write—and star in—a play about her. See Escola reveal the process behind the campy comedy in full Mary Todd drag above.

Oh, Mary! centers on famous First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. In Escola's demented take (or as press notes put it, "through the lens of an idiot"), Mary Todd becomes a madcap, cabaret-obsessed alcoholic. The piece premiered at Off-Broadway's Lucille Lortel Theatre earlier this year in a run that was extended three times. The production earned three 2024 Outer Critics Circle nominations April 23, including Outstanding New American Play and nods for Escola and Conrad Ricamora's performances. Read reviews for the Off-Broadway run here.

The full Off-Broadway cast will continue on to Broadway, including Escola as Mary Todd Lincoln, Ricamora as Mary's Husband, James Scully as Mary's Teacher, Bianca Leigh as Mary's Chaperone, and Tony Macht as Mary's Husband's Assistant. Also transferring with the show are understudies Hannah Solow and Peter Smith.

READ: Camp and the Art of Being Cole Escola

Escola's screenwriting credits include At Home With Amy Sedaris and The Other Two, and they've appeared as an actor in Difficult People, Mozart in the Jungle, At Home With Amy Sedaris, and Big Mouth, among others. They released a comedy special on YouTube titled Help! I'm Stuck With Cole Escola in 2021, and an homage to '70s westerns Our Home Out West in November.

Visit OhMaryPlay.com.