REVIEW: OH, MARY! @ TRAFALGAR THEATRE

🎭 Oh, Mary!

📍 Trafalgar Theatre, 14 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2DY

🗓 Saturday 28th December 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A RIOTOUSLY IRREVERENT MASTERCLASS IN CAMP CHAOS

What an absolute privilege it was to round out the year with a trip to the Trafalgar Theatre for the highly anticipated West End premiere of OH, MARY!. After taking Broadway by storm, Cole Escola's "irresponsibly counterfactual" comedy has landed in London, and let me tell you, it's every bit the boozy, glitter-soaked firecracker we were promised!

This isn't your standard historical drama, not by any means. Escola gives us a Mary Todd Lincoln who is less "First Lady" and more "frustrated cabaret star in waiting", trapped in the suffocating boredom of the White House as the Civil War rages outside. It's a high-octane, 80 minute romp that pivots from slapstick to melodrama with dizzying speed, and the results are nothing short of sensational.

Taking on the monumental task of filling Escola's shoes in the title role is the incomparable Mason Alexander Park. They are a literal force of nature as Mary - delightfully erratic, fiercely funny, and possessing a stage presence that demands your undivided attention. Whether they are downing paint stripper strength liquor or wailing about their thwarted dreams, Park finds a brilliant balance between the absurd and a genuine, queer vulnerability.

The supporting cast is equally magnificent. Giles Terera is brilliant value as Mary's beleaguered husband Abraham - a man nursing his own hidden desires, and the chemistry (or lack thereof) between him and Park's Mary is comedy gold.

Dino Fetscher is an absolute heartthrob and an undeniable hoot as the passionate teacher, while Oliver Stockley provides a perfectly earnest foil as the husband's assistant. The wonderful Kate O'DOnnell brings a clever, parodic layer to the role of Mary's chaperone.

Directed with tonally assured precision by Sam Pinkleton, the production leans into its own ridiculousness, heightening the hilarity at every turn. It's a wild, unlikely sensation that proves history is much more fun when you throw the rulebook out the window.

Each joke lands perfectly, but I have to say that watching the reaction of some of my fellow patrons was just as entertaining as what was happening on the stage! As I and many others were riotously cackling there were people shaking their heads, and I even heard someone use the word "disgusting"! This divisiveness is a credit to the work, its execution, and its boundary intrusion.

If you think you're going to see a historically correct show then you're mistaken. What you get instead is an irreverent, rib-tickling rollercoaster of queer joy and expression. The entire cast fully commits to the chaos, making the ridiculousness work brilliantly.

OH, MARY! is a wildly entertaining evening that is unapologetically joyous. Don't miss this one.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one reviewer.

CAST LIST:

Mason Alexander Park as Mary Todd Lincoln; Giles Terera as Mary's Husband; Dino Fetscher as Mary's Teacher; Kate O'Donnell as Mary's Chaperone; Oliver Stockley as Mary's Husband's Assistant

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 20 minutes, with no interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Strong language; Sexual references; Gunshot; Severe blackouts

AGE RECOMMENDATION:

14 +

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