Broadway hit “Oh, Mary!” is heading to HBO Max in 2027. The official release date has not been announced, but the production was recorded on July 28 at London’s Trafalgar Theater
“Oh, Mary!” was written by Cole Escola in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The show opened off Broadway in 2024, but quickly moved to the Theater District, specifically to the Lyceum Theater, which is where it still is running. It centers around Mary Todd Lincoln and how miserable she was in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln's assassination. It is a one-act 80-minute show jokingly showing the forgotten life story of Mary Todd Lincoln.
There is a touring production starting Sept. 19 making its way across North America. The touring cast has two different actors for Mary planned, with Alaska Thunderf*ck starting and J. Harrison Ghee picking up the role Jan. 19. There are 17 cities the tour will make stops at.
Escola is an American playwright, actor and comedian. They starred in high school productions before moving to New York to study at Marymount Manhattan College, but they dropped out after one year. Escola is most known for acting in the TV shows “Difficult People” and “Search Party” as well as writing for “Hacks” and “The Other Two." They also have an upcoming collaborative Miss Piggy movie planned with Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence.
During 2025’s 78th Tony’s, the show received a Tony for Best Leading Actor in a Play and Best Direction of a play. It received the 2025 Drama League Award for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Direction of a Play, as well as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
A big part of the show's appeal has come from the stunt casting of the titular role. Escola was the original actor for the role, but they stepped down in early 2025. In the two years since the show opened, nine different actors have taken on the role; Betty Gilpin, Tituss Burgess, Hannah Solow, Jane Krakowski, John Cameron Mitchell, Maya Rudolph, Meg Stalter and most recently Bowen Yang.
The West End cast the pro-shot will feature includes Escola as Mary, Giles Tereraas Mary’s Husband, Bianca Leigh as Mary’s Chaperone, Tony Macht as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant and Michael Urieas Mary’s Teacher. The show's original director, Sam Pinkleton, came back to direct this production.
Since opening on Broadway, the show has broken its own box office record 15 times, becoming the first show of the 2024-2025 Broadway season to make their production cost back. The production capped at $4.5 million in earnings. Due to its financial success, along with positive audience feedback, the show's Broadway run has been extended through July 2027.
Broadway fans have been asking for Broadway shows to be made more accessible, and after the successes of the 2017 “Hamilton” pro-shot on Disney+, the theatrical release of the 2026 “Hadestown” pro-shot and many more, it should be no surprise HBO Max capitalized on the opportunity.
The release of the pro-shot was officially announced Sept. 10, along with a teaser trailer. The teaser shows Escola dressed as Mary arriving at the HBO Max office, and includes Sarah Jessica Parker as a receptionist and Cynthia Nixon holding a tray with the melody of the “Sex and the City” theme music playing in the background.
The teaser did spark some confusion online. Because of how it was filmed, fans of the play were worried that, instead of it being a pro-shot of the show, it was going to be a film adaptation of the play. The “Oh, Mary!” Xaccount put these rumors to rest by tweeting “we’re putting the shot in proshot.”
Broadway culture in New York is in a shaky place. Multiple shows are set to close in 2027 after only one season and one in five shows are not able to make initial investments back from ticket sales and advertising. A lot of people cannot afford to buy tickets in the current economy, an average cost of $134.96 for one ticket, so having a more accessible way for fans to see this show can lead to more profit for the play and more people getting to experience Broadway magic.
