VARIETY ‘ACTORS ON ACTORS’: Darren Criss and Cole Escola on OH, MARY!, MAYBE HAPPY ENDING and More

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In a new conversation for VARIETY’s first-ever Broadway “Actors on Actors” issue, Cole Escola and Darren Criss discuss their runs in “Oh, Mary!” and “Maybe Happy Ending,” respectively. The two chat about Steven Spielberg attending their shows, what it was like for Escola to watch someone else play Mary, how Criss balances 8 shows a week with caring for his family, bringing “Oh, Mary!” to Broadway, and more. 

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Escola and Criss on Steven Spielberg coming to both of their shows:

Escola: “He came downtown to the Lortel with Tony Kushner and Sally Field. It was so sweet. I was nervous beforehand—because they had done ‘Lincoln’—that they would be like, ‘That’s in poor taste.’ But they were totally fine.”

Criss: “Steven also just came to our show. It’s hard not to be totally starstruck. He’s part of the fabric of entertainment. He showed up, and for two hours of his life, we had his time and attention.”

Escola: “I heard he was on his phone the whole time. I’m kidding. It reminds me of this clip of Nancy Silverton making this dessert for Julia Child.”

Criss: “And she cries? I love that clip.”

Escola: “Me too. Because I’m like, ‘Oh, it must feel so good to be Nancy Silverton, making Julia Child cry with how delicious your dessert is?’ I get a sliver of that feeling when someone that I admire comes to see ‘Oh, Mary!’ It’s like, ‘You gave me so much. I want to give a little something back to you.’”

Escola on what it was like watching Betty Gilpin in “Oh, Mary!” (Gilpin took over the role of Mary after Escola):

“It was surreal in that it was not surreal at all. I was just like, ‘What a lovely play.’”

Criss on balancing the “Maybe Happy Ending” schedule with caring for his children:

Criss: “If I’m putting the jokes aside, it’s the most beautiful arrangement. Because to have a schedule and be with my children all day is nice.”

Escola: “I love the physicality of your show. But I also know when you do the same movement eight times a week over and over again, all of a sudden you’re like, ‘Oh my God…’ [Escola winces] When I was watching, I wondered what hurts you when you wake up.”

Criss: “I have to say, the show is the easiest part of my day, as a parent with two under 3.”

Escola: “Oh, come on. Get out of here.”

Criss: “It’s true. The life of little ones is ballistic and uncontrolled; by the time you go to a show that’s under two hours, it’s sweet and measured. I don’t envy our colleagues who are retching their souls out for three hours, eight times a week.”

Escola on bringing “Oh, Mary!” to Broadway: “We were scared that we were going to get too big for our britches. When the producers asked, I was like, ‘Why would I say no?’”

Escola on the impact of their high school theater director: “I was 15. I would show up to the theater three hours early to do my makeup. The school’s theater teacher, Dana Brown, made a huge impression on me. Everyone was afraid of Dana Brown. He had these weird rules, like if you died in the show, you didn’t bow at curtain call because it was breaking the magic. But it’s informed how I want to protect the audience. It’s like the Wicked Witch of the West…she doesn’t get a bow. Sorry, sweetheart—that’s the price you pay. There have been moments in ‘Oh, Mary!’ where sometimes bits grow or I’m not feeling them. But if you indulge too much, it can take away from the story, which takes away from the gift to the audience. So sometimes I just have to hit the notes.”

Escola on why “Oh, Mary!” works as a linear play:  “I thought the more serious it looked visually and tonally, the funnier it would be. I wrote it in 2020, but I had the idea in 2009. I was afraid that once I got it on paper, it wouldn’t be as good as what I had in my head…It’s funny though. My midlife crisis started before this play—early-onset midlife crisis, by the way; I’m far too young for a real midlife crisis—and then during the break from the show, it fully came back. This play has not solved any personal problems for me.”

[Photo Credit: Emilio Madrid for Variety]

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