Review: OH, MARY!, The Trafalgar Theatre
Manuel Harlan
This much is true, Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the USA was murdered on 14th April 1865 at the Ford Theatre in Washington at a performance of Our American Cousin by the stage actor John Wilkes Booth. It was just five days after the Confederate army surrendered in the South. History says Wilkes Booth was a Confederate spy. Lincoln’s wife Mary Todd who he married in 1842 shared his interest in politics, although tension did exist over her expenditure. The opening voiceover gives us much of this context as the curtain rises on the President’s office under the gaze of George Washington.
It is somewhat of a mystery as to why Cole Escola reenvisages Mary in this camp satirical play Oh, Mary! as an unhappy alcoholic desperate to resurrect her cabaret career and her husband as a tormented soul, fearful of damage his wife’s behaviour will do to his reputation while secretly harbouring desires for his assistant. The plot takes off into a fantastical reimaging when he hires an actor to teach Mary to act and keep her off the booze. When it played Broadway in 2024 it was nominated for five Tonys winning best Director and Best Actor. Judging by the reaction of invited audience at the press night at the Trafalgar Theatre it will receive similar acclaim here. They were chuckling and guffawing at every exaggerated glance, sexual reference and expletive uttered. If that is your thing, you will love it too. We can’t say more about how the story develops without giving away its surprises and best gags but for the most part it is silly, tasteless and utterly bonkers. It is a sort of Hamilton meets a Two Ronnies sketch.
Standing back from the reaction, we can enjoy the performances of the central two characters. Giles Terera was outstanding earlier this year as Hamlet in the Chichester Festival’s excellent version of the classic play, and it was a joy to see him get his comedy chops around the role of Mary’s Husband, playing it with serious intent despite the ludicrous set up. Mason Alexander Park is mesmerising as Mary playing it for laughs at every line with over-the-top sardonic facial reactions and strong physical business with plenty of eye rolling on every appearance demonstrating they are a great comedy talent. It is camp, silly, and nonsensical but their charisma and stage presence sells it beautifully. The prolonged dismount from the desk centre stage is greeted with rapturous applause and peals of laughter.
Satire is defined as “humour, irony, or ridicule to expose people's vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics”. We failed to make any connection to the current global politics either side of the Atlantic but could appreciate the debate about the difference between cabaret and legitimate theatre described as having “fewer feathers and flatter shoes” as well as some in jokes about theatre people being in bred. They also reference the George Bernard Shaw famous quote that “those who can do, those who can’t teach” as a put down of Mary’s teacher’s efforts to teach her to act. So perhaps this play should be seen simply as a not too serious attempt to bring a queer cabaret subculture into the mainstream of the West End, and perhaps it is true that “those who can act, those who can’t review”. If that is your thing you will undoubtedly enjoy this romp and its outrageous gags. It will be interesting to see whether the play attracts the mainstream audiences during its run until April 2026.
*** Three Stars
Reviewed by Nick Wayne
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