“Oh, Mary!” is heading to HBO! A filmed version of the Tony Award-winning Broadway play will air on the network and stream on HBO Max in 2027.
The dark comedy, which is written by Cole Escola, follows a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. “Unrequited yearning, alcoholism and suppressed desires abound in the 80-minute, one act play which examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln through the lens of an idiot,” per the logline.
In addition to Escola reprising the role of Mary Todd Lincoln, the returning cast includes Giles Terera as Mary’s Husband, Bianca Leigh as Mary’s Chaperone, Tony Macht as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant and Michael Urie as Mary’s Teacher.
“Some shows stay with you long after you’ve seen them. ‘Oh, Mary!’ is one of them. It’s 80 minutes of meticulously choreographed chaos…so wildly original that everyone who sees it immediately needs someone else to see it too,” Nina Rosenstein, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Late Night and Specials, said in a statement. “Cole has pulled off the almost impossible…they created a comedy that feels completely unlike anything else, while making it look effortless.”
“I’m so happy to share this show with a wider audience and spread ‘Oh, Mary!’ awareness,” Escola added. “Knowing about ‘Oh, Mary!’ is the first step in getting rid of it.”
The film, which is a recording of a July 28, 2026 performance that took place at the Trafalgar Theatre in London’s West End, is directed for stage and screen by Sam Pinkleton.
“I fell in love with theater as a kid by absolutely wearing out the VHS tapes of ‘Cats’ and ‘Into The Woods’ and I am honored to continue that legacy with ‘Oh, Mary!’ on HBO,” Pinkleton added. “Shepherding ‘Oh, Mary!’ through its many lives (and Marys) has been an ecstatic experience and I’m giddy that the genius of original idiot Cole Escola will now be immortalized on televisions across America and beyond.”
The live capture is executive produced by Escola, Alex Bach and Daniel Powell for Irony Point, Carlee Briglia and Mike Lavoie for Mike & Carlee Productions and Kevin McCollum and Lucas McMahon for Alchemation.
“Oh, Mary!” first opened Off Broadway in January 2024 before transferring to Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre in July of that year.
It went on to become the first show in the Lyceum Theatre’s 121-year history to gross over $1 million in a single week. Since then, it has broken its own box office record fifteen times and became the first show of the 2024-25 Broadway season to recoup its investment. It premiered on the West End in December 2025.
In addition to the live performance capture, “Oh, Mary!” will launch a North American tour this month.
