Exclusive Behind The Scenes of Oh Mary! in London

Words: Gina Tonic | Photos: Lewis Vorn

Cole Escola’s Oh Mary! has swept Broadway for the past couple of years with not just its unflinching dedication to silliness and historical inaccuracy, but also its rotating cast of queer icons taking up residency in the lead role of Mary Todd Lincoln. The lead spot has seen Jane Krasinski, Titus Burgess and Jinkx Monsoon (twice) take charge. When the show was announced for a West End production, rumours whirled over who would lead London’s debut.

After being announced, it felt inevitable that Mason Alexander Park would be our inaugural Mary. Speaking to them backstage, it seems it was - the actor who has been ruling the West End for a while now, was approached by production to see if they were down to clown. Honoured to be asked, Park felt it was fated that they already had the space in their schedule to do six months as the leading lady of civil war America. Watching the show, it truly feels like it was in the stars for Park, as they deliver a performance dripping with reckless abandon.

Invited for an exclusive look into the backstage process, however, impressed on us that this hasn’t all happened by chance. This is a seasoned performer taking the time to deliver on an excellent script and below, you can join us through the steps that go into ensuring their audience has one of the funnest theatre experiences of their lives.