HBO Lands Live Capture of ‘Oh, Mary!’ Starring Cole Escola

A live capture of the play, starring creator Cole Escola and directed by Sam Pinkleton, will debut on HBO and stream on HBO Max. The special was filmed during the July 28, 2026 performance at the Trafalgar Theatre in London’s West End.

Escola penned the play, which reimagines Mary Todd Lincoln as a wannabe cabaret singer with a prediction for booze, and originated the role of Mary Todd. The play premiered Off-Broadway in February 2024, before transferring to Broadway in July 2024, where it is still running and currently starring Meg Stalter. Escola won the Tony Award for best actor in a play, and director Sam Pinkleton also took home a Tony. The London production of the play opened in 2025 and won an Olivier Award for best entertainment or comedy play. 

“I’m so happy to share this show with a wider audience and spread Oh, Mary! awareness. Knowing about Oh, Mary! is the first step in getting rid of it,” Escola said. 

In addition to Escola as Mary Todd Lincoln, the cast for the live capture includes Giles Terera as Mary’s Husband, Bianca Leigh as Mary’s Chaperone and Tony Macht as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant (both of whom originated the roles Off-Broadway) and Michael Urie reprising his Broadway turn as Mary’s Teacher. On Broadway, the titular role has been taken on by a number of big names, including Maya Rudolph, Tituss Burgess, Jinkx Monsoon and Jane Krakowski. Bowen Yang is set to take over the role starting Sept. 15. 

“I fell in love with theater as a kid by absolutely wearing out the VHS tapes of Cats and Into The Woods and I am honored to continue that legacy with Oh, Mary! on HBO. Shepherding Oh, Mary! through its many lives (and Marys) has been an ecstatic experience and I’m giddy that the genius of original idiot Cole Escola will now be immortalized on televisions across America and beyond,” Pinkleton said. 

The live capture is executive produced by Escola, Alex Bach and Daniel Powell for Irony Point, Carlee Briglia and Mike Lavoie for Mike & Carlee Productions, and Kevin McCollum and Lucas McMahon for Alchemation.