Oh Mary

Oh, Mary! (UK) Review

I walked into Oh, Mary! completely blind. Ninety minutes later, I walked out with sore cheeks from laughing and a genuine appreciation that I’d just witnessed one of the funniest pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen.

To put it simply, this is the best queer comedy and arguably the best piece of queer theatre, I have ever experienced.

I was lucky enough to see Cole Escola in the title role during their London summer engagement. Knowing afterwards that the person bringing Mary to life was also the show’s creator made the experience feel even more special. Escola’s performance is fearless, utterly ridiculous and delivered with the confidence of someone who knows exactly how far they can push an audience before dragging them gleefully over the edge.

The show is gloriously silly, deliciously irreverent and absolutely not for the faint-hearted or the weak-stomached. It delights in taking left turns, throwing decorum out the window and landing joke after joke that had the audience gasping one moment and howling the next. There are plenty of moments that will leave you clutching your pearls… or perhaps another part of your anatomy.

One of the greatest joys was sitting in an audience where so many of the jokes weren’t translated or softened for a straight gaze. They were unapologetically queer, wonderfully niche and all the better for it. For once, it felt like the room belonged to us. Instead of being the minority looking in, we were the target audience, and that sense of belonging made every outrageous punchline land even harder.

The writing is astonishingly sharp. The pace barely gives you a chance to catch your breath before another absurd twist or perfectly timed one-liner arrives. It’s theatre that never settles, constantly escalating its own madness while somehow remaining meticulously crafted.

So buckle up. If you don’t, this production might just throw you from your seat and you’ll probably walk away with more than just a bruised ego. Whether it’s a gash, your dignity or something considerably more private, Oh, Mary! isn’t interested in playing it safe.

It is gloriously chaotic, outrageously funny and completely unforgettable. Long live Mary.