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Oh, Mary!

by Cole Escola

A First Lady with theatrical ambitions

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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    2025 Tony Award nominee for Best Play

    2025 Tony Award nominee for Best Play

AlbakiReads Editorial

A First Lady with theatrical ambitions

Cole Escola’s play imagines Mary Todd Lincoln chafing at life in Washington and longing for a cabaret stage. When Abraham Lincoln arranges acting lessons to keep her occupied, the lessons become a new source of disruption within the White House. The historical figures and Civil War-era setting frame a comic premise built around performance, ambition, and Mary’s unruly pursuit of stardom. The source describes the play as campy comedy; its central tension comes from the clash between Mary’s theatrical aspirations and the expectations surrounding her public role.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in comic plays featuring historical figures.
  • Those drawn to theatrical stories about performance and ambition.
  • Readers seeking adult drama with a White House setting.

Themes

Theatrical ambitionPublic role and private desireHistorical figures in comedy

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Mary Todd Lincoln is tired of Washington, DC. The nation's capital is so boring; she would much rather be onstage, where she belongs, starring in a cabaret. And if she can't do that, she might as well drink. Or push her chaperone down the stairs. Or drink. The entire White House is fed up with Mary's antics, most of all her bore of a husband, who can't focus on anything except his silly Civil War. To get her out of his hair, Abe hires a handsome, up-and-coming actor to give Mary acting lessons, hoping to keep her busy and out of trouble, but the distraction ends up working a little too well. A riotous, campy, outrageous comedy that dares to ask: What won't Mary Todd Lincoln do to be a star? A 2025 Tony Award nominee for Best Play and a 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Drama, Cole Escola's riotous comedy brings a fabulous First Lady into the light.
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Customer reviews

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Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

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Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

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