“Oh, Mary!”
Oh. Mary! We were not expecting that!
Nowadays, there are one too many one man shows where the lead details their progressively awful actions only to expect their audience to sympathise with them as they break down in tears as their act of redemption.
So, it is rather refreshing to see the portrayal of a deeply unhinged woman get progressively more unhinged only to ultimately treat us to a one-woman cabaret finale. Now that is my kind of play.
To give a quick summary - it’s about Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s wife, ‘a woman trapped by her circumstances yearning for life bigger and more aligned with her personal ambition’. Is there any doubt that Mary Todd Lincoln felt that way? Absolutely not. Is it historically accurate? Probably not. But who’s to say for certain.
Farce can often be an oversimplified, self-indulgent genre, however, this was a skillfully written masterpiece, by Cole Escola, that was so self-indulgent that it cleverly stepped into the realm of unapologetically self-aware humour. It was incredibly witty, but avoided the easy trap of becoming one-dimensional, weaving in moments of tenderness towards its lead, Mary Todd Lincoln, played by the marvellous Catherine Tate. The depth added to this character made us as an audience fall in love with her even more.
On that note, Catherine Tate must be given her flowers. Catherine Tate has been somewhat of a household name in comedy for a while, whether she was playing ‘am I bothered?’ Lauren Cooper, crossing the pond to play Nelly in the hit series The Office, or playing the beloved Dr Who companion, Donna. And she certainly continued her winning streak as Mary Todd Lincoln. The sheer energy that was behind her performance was impressive enough, and that layered with her impeccable comedic timing, her physicality and her unwavering commitment to the role made this a performance for the history books. She never fails to impress.
Another notable performance was Scott Karim, rightfully credited as “Mary’s Husband” in the programme. Another incredibly funny performance, where he did not seek to outshine his counterpart but work with her to lift her up. Huge credit is due to all of the actors who were all so engaging to watch and worked fantastically as an ensemble.
To make a small comment on the set and costume - whilst the set was simple and the costumes were not overly extravagant, it only sought to elevate the craft of the words. Often with a farce, creators tend to ham up all elements of the play to make everything big and bold to heighten the humour. However, there was so much faith in the actual script and the actors performing that script that the set and costume didn’t need to be something more than they were, which was a very smart choice.
Although skeptical coming into the show; concerned that they had too good a marketing team which would inevitably cause the hype to outweigh the actual product, it was more than pleasantly surprising. The audience did not stop laughing throughout. It was fun, surprising and unique, and so honestly deserves no less than five stars.
Theatre: Trafalgar Theatre
Reviewer: Anna Chatakondu
Date: 06/05/2026
Star: 5
