Escola gives the former first lady a wild second act in the Tony-nominated play Oh, Mary! "This play is about a woman with a dream that no one around her understands," Escola says.

Escola began to imagine a "second chapter" for Mary Todd Lincoln, an idea that evolved slowly over 12 years. In 2024, Oh, Mary!, starring Escola in the title role, debuted off-Broadway.

Oh, Mary! is an absurd comedic send up on Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham's assassination. "It's about her hopes and dreams of being a cabaret star. It's a very stupid comedy.

In wig and hoopskirt Cole Escola wrote, created, staged and plays the boozed up Mary Lincoln, President Abraham Lincoln’s wife.

"Oh, Mary!" may be Broadway's most unlikely offering this season, a wildly over-the-top, not-at-all historically accurate look at first lady Mary Todd Lincoln, written by and starring Cole Escola ...

Cole Escola took home the 2025 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play for the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in "Oh, Mary!" ...

Mary Todd Lincoln as a cabaret star? How Cole Escola's 'stupid' dream came true The Broadway comedy Oh, Mary! is an intentionally ridiculous reimagining of first lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

"Oh, Mary!" may be Broadway's most unlikely offering this season, a wildly over-the-top, not-at-all historically accurate look at first lady Mary Todd Lincoln, written by and starring Cole Escola.