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.

The show imagines Mary Todd Lincoln as a hard-drinking, boisterous, wannabe cabaret star, beleaguered by her marriage to what Escola imagines is an obviously gay president.

While Cole Escola is usually ready with a quippy response, on Tony nominations day, they can’t help but be genuine. Escola was nominated for a Tony Award for their role as Mary Todd Lincoln in ...

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

Cole Escola as Mary Todd Lincoln in 'Oh, Mary!' Emilio Madrid While Cole Escola is usually ready with a quippy response, on Tony nominations day, they can’t help but be genuine.

"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 ...

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.

The show imagines Mary Todd Lincoln as a hard-drinking, boisterous, wannabe cabaret star, beleaguered by her marriage to what Escola imagines is an obviously gay president.