Review! Mrs President at Charing Cross Theatre, January 2026

I arrived at Charing Cross Theatre for my viewing of Mrs President feeling genuinely excited. I was ready for a history lesson on a figure I knew very little about and curious to see how her story would be brought to life on stage.

Mrs President is a one-act, two-hander centred on Mary Lincoln, First Lady of the United States. When she visits the studio of celebrity photographer Mathew Brady, she seeks the perfect self-portrait in an attempt to control her image and her narrative. Across its 90-minute runtime, the play confronts themes of trauma, grief, and legacy. It was only after the performance that I discovered this was a returning production, having played the same theatre the previous year.

There are several elements of this production that deserve praise. Anna Kelsey’s set and costume design is particularly strong. The framing around the stage cleverly resembles a photograph frame, while the minimal set effectively evokes a photographer’s studio. The costuming is striking: while Brady remains in the same attire throughout, Lincoln undergoes multiple costume changes. Each dress not only reflects the period but also mirrors the character’s shifting mental and emotional state.

Derek Anderson’s lighting design is used to signify transitions between the present moment and what I can only assume are the appearances of spirits. While these moments were occasionally unclear, the lighting truly shines during the photographic sequences. The development of Brady’s photographs, culminating in their projection onto the backdrop as Mrs President sees them for the first time—often with visible disdain—was particularly effective.

The two roles are played by Keala Settle as Mrs President and Hal Fowler as Mr Brady. I was intrigued to see Settle in a role that did not showcase her vocals, and instead what we are given is a powerful display of emotional range. She conveys Mary Lincoln’s anguish with real depth, especially during this pivotal moment in her life, and I cannot fault her performance with the material she was given. Fowler, starring opposite her, moves between Brady and brief moments inhabiting what appear to be ‘spirits’. While he handles these shifts well, the intention behind these moments was confusing—though this is no fault of the actor.

This confusion ultimately leads me to the writing by John Ransom Phillips. According to the programme, Phillips feels a deep personal connection to Mary Lincoln and her place in history. Unfortunately, this connection did not fully translate for me. I entered the play with limited knowledge of Mary Lincoln and, frustratingly, left with much the same. Beyond her devotion to her children and her devastating grief following the death of President Lincoln, I did not feel I gained a deeper understanding of who she was. While Settle made me feel Mary’s pain—particularly during the moment of her husband’s death and her subsequent descent into grief—the writing itself feels disjointed and unclear, preventing the play from fully realising its potential.

⭐️⭐️

Mrs President is performing at Charing Cross Theatre until 8th March.

Book here