Cole Escola’s satirical Broadway hit “Oh, Mary!” reimagines the life of Lexington native Mary Todd Lincoln as she fantasizes about fleeing her life at the White House to chase her dreams as a cabaret dancer amid the Civil War.
Its hilarity earned “Oh, Mary!” five Tony nominations this year, including Best Play — but certain elements of the brazen by-gone biopic are actually rooted in historical facts about the misunderstood first lady.
Extravagant spending
When most Americans were financially struggling from the war, journalists reported heavily on the high costs of Mary Todd Lincoln’s wardrobe, her frequent New York shopping excursions, her trips to the shore, and her $20,000+ makeover of the White House.
Unpredictable moods
The play portrays Mary Todd Lincoln as having a “complex personality,” which aligns with historical accounts that describe her as having “mood swings” + “being prone to headaches.”
Nickname “Molly”
As his character does in the play, Abraham Lincoln often referred to his wife as “Molly.” Early correspondence between the two shows that he called her the nickname in some of their earliest love letters.
Insanity trial
Years after Lincoln’s assassination, the grieving widow was put on trial at the request of her son. A jury of 12 men ruled her insane + she was committed to a sanitarium in Illinois for three months while her son took over the family’s estate.
Pro tip: If you can’t snag tickets to “Oh, Mary!” on Broadway, consider taking the self-guided Lincolns’ Lexington Walking Tour designed by curators at the Mary Todd Lincoln House.
