By Sandi Masori in San Diego
Oh Mary! the current show from Broadway San Diego is different than most of the shows we see there. It’s irreverent, bawdy and fabulous! But it’s not really a musical as we usually know them. The beginning is a farce, and the end is a cabaret show. This is definitely not a show for the kids, but I loved every laugh-filled moment of it.
The one-act production, written by Cole Escola and directed by Sam Pinkleton reimagines the life and marriage of President Lincoln. In this version, Lincoln (John-Andrew Morrison) (who is billed as Mary’s husband) is still president, but is also a closeted gay man in a toxic marriage with a shrewish drunk wannabe cabaret singer, Mary (Alaska Thunderf*ck). Lincoln is not-so-secretly having a “special friendship” with his assistant (Michael Lepore).
Lincoln hires “Mary’s chaperone” (Pooya Mohseni) to keep her busy and away from alcohol, but that backfires. Then he hires an actor, John Wilkes Booth (Wesley Taylor), to be her teacher. You can guess where this is going to go… but wait! You’d be wrong. I’m not going to tell you how it ends though, so you’ll just have to go see it for yourself.
There’s a high LPM ration (laugh per minute) and though the humor is slapstick and blue, it’s a good time.
Most of the action happens in the President’s office, though there are also a couple of other sets. The sets are nice but it’s really Thunderf*ck that makes it all happen. She is captivating both as Mary and as Mary the cabaret singer, and it’s hard to take your eyes off her, and why would you want to? She’s incredible.
The show ended way too soon, clocking in at only 70-80 min or so.
Oh Mary! plays only through Oct 4, so get in while you can.
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Associate Editor Sandi Masori is a theater and food reviewer for San Diego Jewish World.