The 'Gay Intern' Who Makes the Social Media for OH, MARY! Sing

When Pride Month rolled around, Austin Spero knew that Oh, Mary! had to avoid the obvious. As social media manager on the off-Broadway sensation turned unlikely Broadway hit, Spero is tasked with maintaining an online presence as witty and unconventional as befits Cole Escola’s acclaimed farce, billed as “the forgotten life and dream of Mary Todd Lincoln through the lens of an idiot.” 

Since before the show even began previews off-Broadway, Spero’s guiding light has always been honoring Escola’s script, a masterful comic construction. 

“There is another version of Oh, Mary! that for Pride will post, “YAS, It’s Pride, eggplant emoji, eggplant emoji, Abraham Lincoln,” but that isn’t our show,” said Spero. Instead, he wanted the show’s June 1 post to be “the one black and white thing on the grid, no color at all – let’s stand out in that way.”

The result: a stately portrait of Mary’s Husband – aka Abraham Lincoln, aka Broadway heartthrob Conrad Ricamora – emblazoned with the solemn pledge the Abe of Oh, Mary! puts forth to God: “No More Gay.”

“Why not, we can be homophobic!” laughed Spero. “We, as gay people, get to be homophobic.” 

Spero, a 27-year-old Fordham graduate from Durham, North Carolina, defines his own brand as “gay intern” and performs under the drag queen persona Reese Havoc. For anyone who knows him, most Oh, Mary! posts feel like Spero’s unrestrained id let loose on a Broadway marketing budget. 

Peak “how did this get approved?” posts range from a rush ticketing policy announcement that placed Cole-as-Mary’s face on a poppers bottle, to a “Brat Summer” Charlie XCX remix paired with Escola swishing Mary Todd’s wig on Fallon and declaring: “The curls must be bratty.” (A backstage snap of Escola and Sally Field then flashes by without explanation.)

Spero’s personal favorite? A fake #repost of a Lincoln Presidential Museum Instagram post marking the anniversary of Mary Todd Lincoln’s death which replaced the fourth shot of Mary with Escola-as-Mary. 

“Just unhinged and completely disrespectful,” he said, proudly. 

Spero is hardly the sole voice behind the extensive Oh, Mary! campaign, and is quick to credit collaborators both on the show’s press team, Grapevine PR, and on its advertising/marketing cadre at high-powered agency RPM.

But lead producers Kevin McCollum, Lucas McMahon, Mike Lavoie and Carlee Briglia happily credit Spero with the bulk of their social media hits.

“We wish we could take credit for anything that has happened on the Oh, Mary! socials, but it’s been all Austin Spero,” the producers said in a shared statement. “He is so creative and smart, and got the tone of the show immediately. Most of the time when he has an idea we just laugh, shake our heads and say to each other, ‘Thank god for Austin Spero.’”

Spero was recruited personally by Escola, who reached out prior to the off-Broadway run asking him to join the team. (Spero had already bought tickets to the show’s second preview.) When the Broadway transfer came together, the team kept Spero on rather than handing off his role to a larger agency – often the more typical approach. 

“They were not afraid to do things a little unconventionally,” said Spero, who made his Broadway debut with the show and is credited on the Playbill’s main title page.

It has been a busy year for Spero, who typically performs three times a week as Havoc while also holding down a day job in social media at New York City Center. Like the Oh, Mary! team, City Center’s marketing department has come to put its trust in Spero’s chaotic humor, allowing for an 80-year old institution to tweet things like: “And Ben Platt, who plays PARADE, he gave everything” or to cheekily tease each new Encores! casting announcement:

Spero stresses that new leadership at Encores! and popular programming like Into the Woods, The Light in the Piazza and Pal Joey bringing in new eyes from Gen-Z audiences, many of whom had never before stepped foot in City Center, was a big help. 

His style follows broader trends in digital marketing. Many brands have moved away from relying on a neutral, omnipresent voice for their social channels, instead favoring a more playful and personal voice—the actual human being behind the account, speaking directly to their followers.

At the same time, Spero noted, that approach can go horribly wrong if it feels insincere.

“The key is interacting with the material in the same way that you would as a fan,” said Spero. “It’s okay to treat the audience with intelligence – you don’t have to talk down, and you don’t have to be overly formal.”

For Oh, Mary! there was one additional requirement, maybe the most important for Spero personally: The posts had to actually be funny. 

On that front, Spero credits Escola above all else — especially regarding two video announcements shot with special guest stars. The first, featuring Joel Grey, revealed the show’s Broadway transfer; the second, with Patti LuPone, announced its recent extension. 

“Cole took the lead there,” said Spero. “I mean, Cole has been making videos their whole life.” 

Forgoing the pricey equipment and camera crew that would come with shooting a full commercial, the team realized it would be more fun for Spero to just run around after Escola with his phone.

“There was something very in the spirit of the play to just shoot them on my phone outside of the theater in 30 minutes,” said Spero. “As if they were a YouTube video that you’re making with your friends.” 

The latest video (“Patti LuPone Is: Patti LuPone”) currently sits at nearly a million “plays” and just over 27,000 likes on Instagram. 

“It’s so cool for everyone that legends like Joel Grey and Patti LuPone say yes,” said Spero. “People just love the play so much.”