Cole Escola & Conrad Ricamora go back in the closet to dish on being queer, playing dress-up & more
Hamlet’s Vintage, where Escola, with co-star Conrad Ricamora, spent the afternoon jumping back in the closet to play dress-up.
But there’s a bite inside, too, as cast and crew gather for their pre-show duties at the runaway theatrical hit of the season.
Escola’s wacky one-act play, Oh, Mary!, received accolades, with reviews calling the New York Times Critics’ Pick “sensational” and “a raucous romp.” Raves about the show quickly spread, with the production extending twice as theatergoers clamor to catch the high comedy.Cole Escola’s wicked sense of humor takes to the stage, this time finding inspiration in the wild ambitions of Mary Todd Lincoln.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.But back to the dress. “Well, it was from her first marriage,” Escola tells me, responding to a question about their earliest memories of playing dress-up. “It was very 70s, with bell sleeves and an empire waist.
It wasn’t like a wedding cake type of dress. My mom let me wear it to bed because then my dad wouldn’t see me in it. It wasn’t ever discussed, but it was understood that my dad couldn’t see me wearing this dress.”Now audiences can witness Escola eight times a week in a 19th-century hoop skirt (designed by Holly Pierson) as a petulant and fiery first lady Mary Todd Lincoln.
