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Cole Escola: "Oh, Mary!"

 “Oh, Mary!” Is one case of an LGBT artist reflecting on a marriage. Cole Escola is reflecting on Escola’s parents’ marriage.


When Escola was little, Dad chased the family out of a mobile home; Dad was carrying a gun. Escola et al. then lived in government housing, in an effort to “regain footing.”

It’s Escola’s genius to turn this scenario into a comedy. In “Oh, Mary!” Abraham Lincoln fantasizes about murdering his wife, Mary, because he understands that the death might give him a “bump” in the polls. But (spoiler alert) it is Mary who actually commits a murder. She offs her gay husband, because his gloomy self-obsession has prevented her from pursuing her desired career as a cabaret star.

Abe and Mary are dreadful people, but they are wholly relatable. Abe can’t control his lust; he forgets about the Civil War and dreams of young men, on their knees, opening their “wet, pink, puppy-dog mouths.”  Mary drinks paint thinner—as a means of escape—and, after she vomits the paint thinner into a bucket, she greedily drinks her own puke. (Her “professional companion” has unwisely turned her back, just for a second.)

Escola’s compassion for (and thorough understanding of) these characters is shocking and eye-opening. It’s dicey when a piece of writing generates so much hype, because disappointment can set in. But “Oh, Mary!” really does deserve the attention it is getting. A total inspiration.

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