Review Roundup: MRS PRESIDENT at Charing Cross Theatre

Historical drama Mrs President is currently running at Charing Cross Theatre to 16 March 2025. Bronagh Lagan, directs Miriam Grace Edwards, and Sam Jenkins-Shaw.

In Mrs President, Mary Lincoln is a woman at war—with her grief, her detractors, and herself. Vilified by an envious elite and accused of treason, she strives to rebuild her public image to win the hearts of the American people. She turns to the world’s first celebrity photographer, Matthew Brady, who helped her husband, Abraham Lincoln, win the presidency. But their partnership unravels into a tense battle for creative control. As Mary fights to tell her story, the play delves into themes of power, identity, female agency, and the cost of representation.

With a richly textured script by acclaimed artist, playwright, and historian John Ransom Phillips, Mrs. President invites audiences into a gripping examination of history’s biases and the human need to define ourselves. Described as “evocative” and “unmissable,” this brand new London production brings to life an intimate and politically charged portrait of America’s most misunderstood First Lady.

The production features set and costume designs by Gregor Donnelly, lighting design by Derek Anderson, sound design by Sonum Batra, video design by Matt Powell and production management by Dan Weager. General management is by Katy Lipson and Kristie Winsen for ARIA Entertainment. Mrs President is produced by the Art Pond Foundation. See what the critics are saying...

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 Cindy Marcolina, BroadwayWorld: A touch of the supernatural transforms the play from historic record to individual nightmare. It works, but it interestingly leads to a bit of a baffling choice. Brady’s old-timey Northern English camera starts speaking to his Irish oak chair. They discuss their origins and lament their abuse at the hand of their owner. It’s bemusing, but it flips the script entirely and muddles the water of the plot. In other words, it’s now unnecessary. Other than that, the piece is as strong as it was in Edinburgh. It’s gained a more refined look and remains an accomplished dip into the mind of one of history’s most controversial wives.

Emma John, The Guardian: The principals largely talk at, rather than to, each other, offering more of a conceptual framework than a central narrative. It’s never quite clear where the action is taking place – in Brady’s imagination? One of Lincoln’s psychotic episodes? – and the bursts of biographical information that explode at regular intervals are entertaining but rarely illuminating.

Sophie Wilby, All That Dazzles: The present run at The Charing Cross Theatre is not the first for Mrs President, however, it feels as though more work could be done to hone in on the writing and tell a clearer story. Mary Todd Lincoln’s life is certainly an interesting one (which is perhaps why it is not the sole production exploring her life at present with Oh, Mary! currently playing in New York) but sadly, Mrs President does not quite yet do her story justice. 

Gary Naylor, The Arts Desk: Miriam Grace Edwards, in a variety of impressive dresses, is the more compelling character, as Mary reveals both her story and the damage done to her as a consequence. The problem is that she is given so little to work with. She tells us of the events, of her misery and ill-treatment – like many disruptive women, medical incarceration was a continual threat – but there’s nothing in a very wordy script that captures the soul of the woman. There’s a vague sense of the spiritual, even the religious, that topples towards the occult in her reflections, but nothing coalesces into a coherent portrait. The play isn’t sufficiently theatrical to bear the weight of the task it sets itself.

Irene Lloyd, Everything Theatre: At the start of this play I did not really know a great deal about Mary Lincoln, and at the end did not really know much more.  I did, however, do a little bit of research and she seems a very interesting character. Obviously it is nigh-on impossible to do justice to the life of a complex public figure in one hour, so any inclination by the audience to find out more must be a positive outcome.  More insight into her life and personality would have been beneficial though.  In the programme, writer Ransom Phillips reveals that the play began with twelve characters.  It could be distilled even further, to a monologue with much more focus on Mary. Though that would mean missing out on Jenkins-Shaw’s performance it would also (hopefully) remove the inanimate objects.  An interesting two-handed play with strong performances from Edwards and Jenkins-Shaw, but in the end somewhat confusing and unsatisfying.

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