Oh,Mary! has recouped its $4.525 million Broadway capitalization.
The play, written by and starring Cole Escola, has recouped its Broadway production costs, after opening at the Lyceum Theatre on July 11. The production has broken its own box office record nine times, including last week, when it brought in just above $1.2 million, with an average ticket price of $171.32.
In Oh Mary!, Escola reimagines Mary Todd Lincoln as a wannabe cabaret star, railing against her life in the White House and against wishes of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln.
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In addition to breaking box office records, the comedy has also brought in celebrity guests, including former first lady Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarrett on Saturday afternoon, as well as Billy Crystal, Tom Hanks, Bowen Yang, Anne Hathaway, Andrew Garfield, Jennifer Aniston and Madonna (as well as Lincoln’s Steven Spielberg, Sally Field and Tony Kushner during the Off-Broadway run).
Escola landed on the idea for the play in 2009, with the starting point of “What if Abe’s assassination wasn’t such a bad thing for Mary Todd Lincoln?” But Escola, who did little research on Lincoln, told The Hollywood Reporter that the character is more based on their own life, than on the life of the former first lady.
“I’ve always loved theater, but I’ve always felt like I’m not allowed to do theater, because I feel like, ‘Oh, I didn’t have the right training’ or ‘I haven’t been doing the right kinds of things to be allowed to do theater.’ So I created a vehicle that opened a door for me into the theater,” Escola said.
The show also stars Conrad Ricamora as Mary’s Husband, James Scully as Mary’s Teacher, Bianca Leigh as Mary’s Chaperone and Tony Macht as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant.
The production transferred to Broadway after a sold-out run Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. The play was initially announced for a 12-week run, but has since extended through Jan. 19.
This is the first show of the 2024-25 season to announce recoupment — though it was also the first commercial production to open this season.
Oh, Mary! is produced on Broadway by Kevin McCollum & Lucas McMahon and Mike Lavoie & Carlee Briglia.
