Review: OH, MARY! at the Trafalgar Theatre

Date: 02/01/26

Stars: 4

Oh, Mary! doesn’t hang around! It starts loud, strange and already slightly unhinged, and it keeps that energy right through to the end. And it’s wise to remember that this isn’t a respectful retelling of history by any means, or even a particularly interested one – it takes Mary Todd Lincoln, drops her into a pressure cooker of frustration and boredom, and lets her unravel in front of us.

The idea is simple enough. In the weeks before Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Mary is trapped in a life that doesn’t suit her; she wants to perform, to be seen, to be taken seriously, and instead she’s surrounded by people whose main goal is to keep her quiet and out of the way. The play, written by Cole Escola and directed by Sam Pinkleton, uses that setup as a springboard for farce, shouting matches, physical comedy and some genuinely unhinged moments, but there’s always something recognisable underneath the chaos. That’s why the play works, in my opinion – yes, it’s over the top, but strip that surface away, and you’ve got something people can actually relate to. Who thought that would ever be the case?

When it comes to the overall play, Mason Alexander Park is the reason this works as well as it does. Their Mary is funny, volatile, needy, furious, and oddly vulnerable, sometimes all in the same scene. It’s a big performance, but it never feels too messy or overdone because Park commits completely, and that commitment gives the character shape. Even when Mary is behaving terribly, there’s a sense of why she’s doing it, and that keeps the audience on side.

The rest of the cast support that tone well. Giles Terera’s Abraham Lincoln is exhausted and short-tempered, which makes for a sharp contrast with Mary’s spiralling energy. Kate O’Donnell, Oliver Stockley and Dino Fetscher are all happy to let scenes tip into chaos without losing control of them. Nobody overplays it, which is important in a show like this.

It moves fast. There’s no interval, no chance to pause, and very little space for sentimentality. Scenes crash into each other, jokes overlap, and emotions rarely get time to settle before the next disruption arrives, and that constant motion feels deliberate – this is a woman who can’t sit still, in a world that won’t let her move.

Visually, the production keeps things fairly simple, giving the performers space to work. Costumes suggest period without getting fussy, and the staging allows the physical comedy to land cleanly. The laughs often come from contrast – stiff surroundings meeting erratic behaviour – and that tension is where the play is at its best.

Oh, Mary! won’t be to everyone’s taste. It’s loud, silly, and deliberately excessive, and it doesn’t explain itself or soften its edges. But it knows exactly what it’s doing, and it does it with confidence. And beneath the jokes and the chaos is a clear idea about power, frustration and what happens when someone is constantly told to be smaller.

Oh, Mary! plays at the Trafalgar Theatre until 25th April, and tickets are available here: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/oh-mary/trafalgar-theatre/