Does a very American story about Abraham Lincoln and his erratic wife, translate for British audiences? I went along to “Oh, Mary!” to find out.

Smash hit comedy “OH MARY!” premiered off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in January 2024, before a Broadway transfer to the Lyceum Theatre in July 2024, where it broke box office records and continues to play to sold out audiences.

Now playing in London’s West End at the Trafalgar Theatre, the question is “does a very American story about the 16th President of the United States Of America, Abraham Lincoln and his erratic wife, Mary, translate for British audiences?” I went along to find out.

What is it about

Abraham Lincoln was the US President for four years and led America through the Civil War before being assassinated by actor John Wilkes Booth, whilst watching a theatre production of Our American Cousin in April 1865. That much is true – but a history lesson this play is not!

Written by the brilliantly warped mind of Tony® Award-winning Cole Escola, “Oh, Mary!” takes this historical story and flips it on its head, putting the President’s Wife, Mary Todd Lincoln centre stage, imagining what life could have been like if she was a failed Cabaret star, longing to return to the stage.

Mary (an erratic drunk, desperate for anything that will make her feel alive) feeds off of other peoples secrets in order to feel excitement. Wanting to keep her from the world of Cabaret, Abraham enlists the help of actor John Wilkes Booth, to give Mary acting lessons, to hone her craft. Meanwhile, Abraham is battling his own demons and is trying to pray away the gay inside him (unable to stop himself from being more than assisted by his assistant).

The Cast

Directed by Tony® Award-winning Sam Pinkleton, scenes are more vignettes, with blackouts in between, to allow for scene changes. It has the essence of old silent movies and the comedic stylings of Absolutely Fabulous.

Mason Alexander Park gives everything to the performance of Mary Todd Lincoln. Their performance reminded me of Kathleen Turner in the 1980’s cult classic film Serial Mom – sweet and loving one moment and then angry and demonic the next – sniffing out fear wherever it can be found. Having watched a matinee performance, I was exhausted and applaud anyone that can give that much to their performance, more than once per day.

Dino Fetscher is brilliant as Mary’s Teacher, both aroused and disgusted by the job he has been hired to do.

Giles Terera as Mary’s Husband (oh, and President) gives an incredible performance. It really should be seen as the stand out performance in the show but we all know that Mary would never let anyone overshadow her.

Oliver Stockley as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant and Kate O’Donnell as Mary’s Chaperone, both have smaller roles but that doesn’t stop them from showing comedic prowess.

So, does this yankee doodle story translate for British audiences?

Well, it doesn’t need to because the story is totally insane and 99% fictional.

What “Oh, Mary!” is, is a gloriously camp, ludicrous 80-minute comedy romp — gayer than a Cabaret star belting out Judy Garland.

It’s extremely funny (although I did expect slightly more from the hype of the show but I’ve recently seen a million pantomimes and so my tolerance for innuendo is high) with a hilarious twist – and ending, as Mary would have wanted it – in song.

I hope the West End production follows on from the Broadway model and has different stars frequently stepping in to the role, because I certainly want a reason to go and see “Oh, Mary!” again!

★★★★

West End Wilma

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