Earlier this week, Nicole Scherzinger gave an impromptu performance of Sunset Blvd.'s "With One Look" with her iPhone and a bullhorn after a technical mishap canceled the April 23 matinee of the Andrew Lloyd Webber revival. Not to be outdone, Oh, Mary! writer and star Cole Escola answered with their own take on the stunt, offering Mary Todd Lincoln's bullhorn performance of "Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy" on Instagram.
Watch below—if you dare.
Oh, Mary!, which premiered Off-Broadway last year, is currently playing Broadway's Lyceum Theatre. Performances are set to continue through June 28. Escola, who also originated the role of Mary Todd Lincoln, is back for an encore run alongside the complete original Off-Broadway cast. Returning alongside Escola are fellow original cast members Conrad Ricamora as Mary's Husband and James Scully as Mary's Teacher, joining continuing original cast members Bianca Leigh as Mary's Chaperone and Tony Macht as Mary's Husband's Assistant.
Read the reviews for the Broadway bow here.
The play focuses 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.
Rounding out the company are understudies Hannah Solow, Martin Landry, and Julian Manjerico.
READ: Camp and the Art of Being Cole Escola
The piece premiered at Off-Broadway's Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2024 in a run that was extended three times. The production earned two 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding New American Play and Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway play, both for Escola. The show also won the 2024 Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Play.
Sam Pinkleton directs the Broadway run after staging the Off-Broadway premiere. His creative team includes scenic designer dots, costume designer Holly Pierson, lighting designer Cha See, composer and co-sound designer Daniel Kluger, co-sound designer Drew Levy, wig designer Leah J. Loukas, and music arranger David Dabbon. Casting is by Henry Russell Bergstein. Bryan Bauer and Ryan Patrick Kane are production stage manager and assistant stage manager, respectively.
READ: Director Sam Pinkleton On the Art of Recasting Oh, Mary!
Escola's screenwriting credits includeAt 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.
Visit OhMaryPlay.com.
Cole Escola in Oh, Mary!
Cole Escola and Bianca Leigh in Oh, Mary!
Conrad Ricamora and Cole Escola in Oh, Mary!
Conrad Ricamora and Tony Macht in Oh, Mary!
Cole Escola and Conrad Ricamora in Oh, Mary!
Cole Escola and James Scully in Oh, Mary!
Conrad Ricamora, Cole Escola, and Bianca Leigh in Oh, Mary!
Tony Macht, Cole Escola, Conrad Ricamora, and Bianca Leigh in Oh, Mary!
