Oh, Mary!

Oh, Cole!

Do you know what is better than seeing a hilarious play that has all the buzz on Broadway? The answer is of course seeing that play at its very first performance after winning two Tony Awards. Cole Escola won the Tony Award for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play,” and Sam Pinkleton won the Tony Award for “Best Direction of a Play.” It was such an honor to meet both Cole and Sam after the show.

It is hard for me to understand how Cole could get on stage and perform that Monday night, less than 24 hours after winning their Tony Award. There may indeed have been a few moments of improv in that Monday night performance, and the crowd ate it up.

The energetic audience, sharing in the celebration knowing that this was such a special night and a special performance, made a very fun show even more fun.

At this performance, our Playbill included an insert with this message: “At this performance, the role of Mary’s Husband will be played by Julian Manjerico.” In case you read too quickly, the character is called “Mary’s Husband.” It’s not Abraham Lincoln. This is just one small example of the brilliance of this play.

This play has some very funny surprises, so I encourage you to not do too much research, as you do not want these spoilers. Just go to the show with no knowledge of the plot, and you will have a good time.

Regarding Mary’s Husband, Julian was fantastic, and had it not been for the insert, I would not have known that Julian does not play this role every show. What was shocking to learn was that this night was actually Julian’s debut performing the role. I would happily see Julian in this role again. Julian’s performance was excellent alongside Cole’s Tony Award winning performance.

Bianca Leigh and the rest of the cast were also excellent, all contributing to the quality of this show and the resulting experience.

Recapping the three special moments of magic in this specific performance:

1. It was Cole's first performance as the official Tony Award winner of "Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play."

2. It was director Sam Pinkleton's first time attending the show as the official Tony Award winner of "Best Direction of a Play."

3. It was understudy Julian Manjerico's debut performing the role of Mary's Husband.

Oh, Mary! is so fun. Out of the nine incredible plays and musicals I saw during this Broadway trip, Oh, Mary! indeed provided the most laughs of all of the shows.

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