Mrs President grabs your attention from the moment it starts, with a gripping story!
Mrs President is a two-handler play which premiered at Charing Cross theatre in 2025. The play features Mary Lincoln (Keala Settle) dealing with the aftermath of her late husband President Abraham Lincoln’s death. Accused of committing crimes, she turns to a celebrity photographer Matthew Brady (Hal Fowler) to help reclaim her image. However, whilst spending time together, conflicts ensue: resulting in powerful dynamics on stage! Charing Cross Theatre is a brilliant theatre, just off the West End. I’ve previously visited for shows such as Stiletto and Get Down Tonight so I was excited to return for this revival that is set to reinvent the source material. Bronagh Lagan is the director of the project and has done a brilliant job at reviewing and refining this show.
The costumes are historically accurate to the time piece, allowing both actors to flourish as their characters. The set is expansive, with lots of details from picture frames to books. Within this, the stage is surrounded by a picture frame: leaning into the portrait which Mary is having made. It feels like a glimpse of history which works very well for the show. Similarly, any music or lighting was effectively used to help move the narrative along. I specifically really enjoyed the transitions/photograph transition segments: utilising lighting incredibly well!
Hal Fowler plays Matthew Brady, the celebrity photographer tasked with reinventing the image of Mary Lincoln. Fowler is well known in the theatre world, being in shows such as Les Miserables and Dear Evan Hansen. Fowler plays a multitude of different characters throughout and is able to bring his own to each of them. The way he challenges Mary’s ideas and has preconceived thoughts around the photos lead to some interesting conversations between the two characters. I found that Fowler was able to progress the story really well and this balance worked with Settle’s portray of the character.
Keala Settle plays Mary Lincoln, the wife of the late President Abraham Lincoln in the aftermath of his death. Settle is an American actress and singer, having played many roles in her time. Though, Settle’s most noticeable role was Lettie Lutz in The Greatest Showman: where she had the best vocals in the entire movie. Settle does not sing in this show but instead shows a soaring range of emotions. Mary goes through so much grief and hardships, which Settle portrays phenomenally well! It was a pleasure to watch her on stage giving the role everything she had. Her costumes were also brilliant, being very powerful each time she changed for the photos. Her dynamic with Fowler was also very strong: showing a clear bond between both actors.
Mrs President continues its reign until the 8th March. Book your tickets now!
Max
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