Oh, Mary! - Trafalgar Theatre

A long list of “don’ts” was supplied to those given review tickets (I gave mine away, not because I was feeling generous in the festive season, but because my diary was full), far more than the usual reminders not to drop spoilers in reviews. Both the Trafalgar Theatre and the show’s own website describe the play as follows:

“Oh, Mary! is an uproariously dark comedy about a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Unrequited yearning, alcoholism, and suppressed desires abound in this 80-minute one-act play that finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln, through the lens of an idiot (playwright Cole Escola).”

Fair enough. But the reviewers were instructed thus:

“Please refrain from using ‘Abraham Lincoln’”.

What? I did anyway, sticking the brief blurb that uses ‘Abraham Lincoln’ from the producers below my esteemed colleague’s rave review, which followed all the stipulated rules to the letter. Clearly, ‘Abraham Lincoln’ does not fall within the body of the review itself. As you can see from the image above, the producers quoted the star rating. So not to be able to use wording used by the venue and the production to generate ticket sales for the show is sufficient evidence, to me, of the ridiculousness and frankly, sheer stupidity, of the spoiler list. But having seen the show for myself now, I also take issue with elements of the show’s description.

Uproarious? No. It was chucklesome, and never, to my mind, offensive. The cast (of which specifics are also barred, I think) milk punchlines for maximum comedic value, and more often than not, outlasted their welcome for me. I repeat, for me. Much of the rest of the audience chortled away more or less throughout. But 'uproarious' suggests to me the audience would be laughing so hard and so loud and for so long the show had to pause for it to die down, and that never happened, at least not on the night I went. Dark? Not really. Cheeky, perhaps. But, for instance, while the American Civil War is mentioned (yes, yes, a spoiler – but this is NOT a review!) it is never used (unless I really, really wasn’t paying attention) as fodder for comedy. A portrayal of alcohol addiction is probably the closest to ‘dark comedy’, particularly for any patrons who have had direct or indirect experience of living with an alcoholic and all the danger that entails.

Don’t go for the plot. Perhaps the spoiler list was really trying to tell reviewers not to say there isn’t one. It’s fine for some laughs and light entertainment. But not if you’re after something deep and meaningful. It’s good escapism from all the shit going on in the world.