By Jacob Passy | Photographs by Molly Woodward

Mary Todd Lincoln is killing it on Broadway.

But if you think the women who devote much of their lives to portraying the former first lady are doing a victory lap, you don't know these Marys.

Within the community of hobbyists who impersonate Abraham and Mary, her depiction in popular culture is a sore subject. Marys say they carry the burden of both her bulky outfits and a long history of indignities and misconceptions about her mental state.

"She is easily the butt of jokes," said Laura Keyes, a 42-year-old library director from Peoria, Ill. "It's sad when I know more about her, but I see that as part of my duty to portray her accurately."

The show "Oh, Mary!", playing at the Lyceum Theater, traces an unusual portrait of the famous widow in the weeks leading up to President Lincoln's assassination. Mary isn't concerned with her children or the state of the republic. Instead, the bawdy comedy portrays her as an alcoholic who may or may not have thrilled as a cabaret star and who is dead-set on making an extravagant return to the stage.

The production has emerged as one of the season's biggest hits. It regularly breaks box-office records and recouped its $4.5 million investment back in November. The show netted five nominations at the Tony Awards being held this Sunday, including best play.

Keyes has portrayed Mary for more than 15 years, giving 250 presentations as her. She said too many people dismiss Mary's burdens, including losing multiple children, leaving Keyes to question the purpose of portraying her humorously.

Teena Baldrige, an impersonator from Springboro, Ohio, said because Mary had been largely treated as a footnote in her husband's story, she previously knew little about her beyond the common stigmas.

"I thought she was a crackpot and I didn't want to portray that because I've got enough of that in me already," Baldrige said.

Keyes and Baldrige are members of the Association of Lincoln Presenters, an organization of impersonators who carry on the legacy of the nation's 16th president, his family and colleagues. The group includes nearly 90 men who portray the late president and over 40 women who impersonate his wife. The association hosts an annual convention where members meet to socialize, exchange tips of the trade and discuss their love of history.

The gig typically involves giving presentations at nursing homes, schools and community events. The period around Presidents Day is a busy time, though many proclaim it to be a yearlong endeavor. They all don bulky outfits that typically feature large hoop skirts and multiple layers.

"It's a challenge trying to drive a car in Civil War-era clothing," said MaryAnne Mathews, a Mary who lives in Carmel, Ind.

Many Marys have spent years fine-tuning scripts outlining different periods from her life. Mathews penned her own one-act play, "Mrs. President: A Visit with Mary Lincoln," that she traveled the country performing for years.

Popular culture has routinely set back the cause.

In an episode of the TV series "Glee," a substitute high-school teacher played by Gwyneth Paltrow dons Mary garb for a lesson. "My husband was probably gay, and I'm bipolar, which makes me yell things like, 'That teapot's spreading lies about me,'" Paltrow deadpans in the scene.

Mary impersonators say they are commonly asked questions about her mental health based on what many consider to be biased historical accounts.

"When you kind of inhabit this character, you get very protective of the person," said Mathews, who has yet to see the play. Mathews said her concern lies in what the audience may take away about Mary.

"I'm not sure if we have discerning viewers," Mathews said. "They watch a Disney movie and say, 'Oh yeah, Pocahontas and John Smith had a love affair.' They believe what they see and don't really go back and look at the actual facts."

The play stems from an idea "Oh, Mary!" writer and star Cole Escola had in 2009: "What if Abraham Lincoln's assassination wasn't such a bad thing for Mary Todd?" Escola finally wrote the play in 2020 amid the Covid-related lockdowns, basing Mary's depiction largely on the writer's own personality.

"All of the things that she feels are all things that I still feel or have felt," Escola told CBS Sunday Morning last month.

A representative for the play didn't make Escola available for an interview.

Some details in the play are rooted in history. (John Wilkes Booth's two brothers were indeed actors known for their performances in "Julius Caesar" and "Hamlet.") Others are Escola's inventions. (Booth was not Mary's acting coach.)

Not everyone in the world of Lincoln is opposed to the lighthearted, farcical take of "Oh, Mary!" Callie Hawkins, CEO of President Lincoln's Cottage, a museum and historic site in Washington, D.C., gave the show an "1865 out of 10" in a social-media review of the production.

"Escola managed to do what very few historians have ever been able to do and that's make you really root for Mary," Hawkins said.

Whether the Lincolns themselves would enjoy "Oh, Mary!" is another debate. "Mary thought of herself as the epitome of decorum in the first place because she was well bred and she had a good education," Baldrige said.

Impersonator Mary Elliott, who is eager to see the show, said humor played a big role in the couple's lives. "Lincoln would say, 'If I didn't laugh, I'd die,'" Elliott said. Others point out the Lincolns were watching a political satire when he was killed so they might appreciate it.

Just don't expect a production to be mounted at Ford's Theatre, the site of the assassination.

"It would just be in bad taste," jokes Paul Tetreault, the theater's director, who thought the show was fun when he saw it last year.

Write to Jacob Passy at jacob.passy@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 05, 2025 05:30 ET (09:30 GMT)

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