My Review of “Oh, Mary!”…

Something unprecedented happened this past weekend — I lucked into one of the hottest tickets in town. Also unprecedented: that I would want one of the hottest tickets in town. But in this case I knew it would be my jam, and oh boy was I right. My happy and grateful mission was to review Cole Escola’s Oh, Mary! for Chelsea Community News. Why Michael Musto didn’t get this plum assignment is mysterious to me (he also writes for CCN) but I wasn’t about to squawk. Note to editors: I’ll take Michael Musto’s sloppy seconds in glamorous cultural assignments any day of the week. It’s…it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

It gets better! My seat was third row, on the aisle — close enough to look up Mary’s dress. And yes, she wore bloomers with hearts on them, because it’s just that kind of show.

It could have been still better. When I asked the usher for directions to the restroom, he looked at my ticket and told me go to the orchestra. If there had indeed been toilets in the orchestra, I would have given this theatrical experience six out of five stars! At any rate, I forgive the chap for mishearing me, given all the hub-bub in the lobby, which I also referred to in my review.

Something else I was too cautious to put into my review, but will be glad to put here. Some of the posters for Oh, Mary! bill it as “The Greatest Play of the Generation!” and for once, I will not seek to correct the hyperbole. It reminded me of those great perennial comedy machines of the theatre, such as The Importance of Being Earnest or She Stoops to Conquer, just a guaranteed laugh getter. It sounds excessive, but it does not exaggerate.

I was already a big fan of Cole Escola from their appearances on Difficult People. Who know they had THIS up their skirt? Anyway, lest I get redundant, I pass you now to my full review, which is here.