I cried because I was laughing so hard, then I cried because I didn’t want “Oh, Mary!” to end.
San Diego has only one weekend to see the historical farce at the Civic Theatre. It’s the West Coast debut of Cole Escola’s off-Broadway passion project, which word-of-mouth propelled to Broadway, where it became a Tony-winning smash.
“Oh, Mary!” is a one-act, 80-minute play with no intermission. It could have been four hours with no intermission and I would have stayed, despite the risk of peeing my pants from laughing. In that 80 minutes, it packs in slapstick, absurdist, dark, sharp, campy, ridiculous, overly sexual and occasionally smart humor. It is offensive and raunchy in the best way possible.
I plan to quote it relentlessly (For starters: “I’m good girl! I’m good girl!,” “The South of what?,” “Oh Mary, you boob!”). I have told my friends that it is an essential watch and that to stay friends we must share this viewing experience. It tops the high I’ve been chasing since watching “Dicks: The Musical,” with not even half as much cringe.
But it’s also the type of play I’d never recommend to my mother, or grandmother, or anyone who checks the content warnings on Plugged In before going to the movies. For the right person though, it is very right.
The creative team
Drag queen Alaska Thunderf*ck, winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” season two, leads the production as Mary Todd Lincoln. The play asks, what if the First Lady was mean, bored and miserable after giving up a cabaret career for the White House – and also just very, very stupid.
All the characters are completely unlikeable, yet somewhat lovable.
J. Harrison Ghee had to bow out of the tour for health reasons, so John-Andrew Morrison reprised his Broadway role as Mary’s Husband, a man more stressed managing his wife’s alcoholism than the war with the South. He swears never to commit a homosexual act again, something he will prove by committing one last homosexual act, if God helps him win the war and protect his reputation from his wife.
Every actor was perfect and the casting incredible (good work, Henry Russell Bergstein), but my favorite had to be Wesley Taylor as Mary’s Teacher. He tries to teach her the respectable art of the theater—more respectable than cabaret medleys, at least—while sporting a slutty mustache, slutty pants, and well, slutty everything.
Pooya Mohseni delivers a prudish performance as Mary’s Chaperone, who unwraps deeper layers of humor as the play goes on. Michael Lepore had subtler moments as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant, although his posture alone in one scene incited more giggles than the witty repartee.
Sam Pinkleton, who earned a Tony for directing “Oh, Mary!” in New York, also directs the tour with admirable precision. I’ve never before seen stage breaks as comedic punctuation, so kudos to lighting designer Cha See, sound designers Daniel Kluger and Drew Levy, and stage manager Seth F. Barker for pulling that off. Leah J. Loukas’ curly wig for Mary and costume designer Holly Pierson, through a silly hoop skirt, make Mary’s outfit a character in itself. Scenic designer studio dots only had a few settings to manage, but each is pitch perfect.
Tickets are on sale for “Oh, Mary!” through Oct. 4 at the San Diego Civic Theatre Box Office and online at BroadwaySD.com.
