Andy Cohen, the host of Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live,” doesn’t hesitate to sing the praises of his guests. So it was to be expected that when, on Wednesday’s show, Cohen greeted Cole Escola, the star and writer of the play, “Oh, Mary!,” as “the toast of Broadway,” and bubbled that the show is “the biggest hit running in New York City.”
After all, Escola, whose website says the writer and actor is “trailer trash born and raised in rural Oregon,” has been selling out shows ever since “Oh, Mary!” moved from Off Broadway to Broadway.
The play is a farcical creation in which Escola, who was born in Clatskanie, plays an outrageous version of Mary Todd Lincoln, the wife of President Abraham Lincoln. In Escola’s telling, Mary Todd Lincoln is an alcoholic, would-be cabaret star.
“Oh, Mary!” has drawn rave reviews, and Escola has been making the media rounds to promote the show. In addition to quotable, sometimes risqué, remarks, Escola has been standing out for their fashion flair, as The New York Times recently noted in an article with the headline, “A Red-Carpet Star Is Born.”
On “Watch What Happens Live,” Escola made an immediate impression by wearing an oversized, brown leather-ish top over black pants, which were festooned with what appeared to be price tags.
“I wanted sort of a Park Avenue gargoyle-meets-brunch” look, Escola said.
During the show, Escola made more comments that were on the racy side, and joked about a variety of topics. When Cohen asked, “Is that outfit comfortable?” Escola paused, and said, “In relation to what?”
A segment also featured the show’s announcer stating supposed facts about Escola, and Cohen and Nwodim guessing whether they were true or not. When the announcer asked if it was true that “Cole has the hots for sexy Senator Mitt Romney,” both Cohen and Nwodim said that sounded true. Escola said it was, then added more comments that would likely make Romney blush.
When Cohen read a viewer question asking if Escola had finished the audiobook of Barbra Streisand’s autobiography, and if they had a favorite moment, Escola said, “All the description of food. The book is mostly descriptions of food, and regrets for things she didn’t buy.”
Finally, Cohen had Escola read a list of five historical figures Escola wants to play next. The list began with Amelia Earhart, the aviation pioneer whose final flight vanished, and whose tagline would be, Escola said, “Get in girls, we’re going shopping!”
And the top historical figure Escola wants to play, they said, was the person who turned Mary and Joseph away at the inn, adding the snooty comic tagline, “Do you have a reservation?”