Mrs President Q&A at the Charing Cross Theatre

Mrs President Q&A at the Charing Cross Theatre

It’s hard to imagine a woman whose life was more defined by grief and loss than Mary Todd Lincoln, as I discovered thanks to Mrs President, John Ransom Phillips’ intriguing play about the former First Lady and her attempts to redefine her public image with the help of pioneering 19th-century photographer Matthew Brady.

Here are the basics: When Mary was six years old, her mother died. When she was twenty-three, she married Abraham Lincoln, with whom she had four sons. Three of those sons died before the age of 19. When she was forty-six, her beloved husband, having guided a shattered nation nearly to the conclusion of a devastating civil war, was assassinated, shot in the head as she sat beside him at the theatre, holding his hand. Ten years later, her only surviving son, embarrassed by her grief, had her committed to an asylum. By the age of sixty-three, she was dead of a stroke.

“I shape the image of people who shape America. So I am shaping America”

These tragedies are powerful reference points in Mrs President‘s non-linear fever dream-like expression of the First Lady’s life. The play explores how she sees herself and how she wants the public to see and remember her with the, not always sympathetic, assistance of Matthew Brady, himself a fascinating historical figure whose work not only helped get Abraham Lincoln elected but documented the brutality of the American Civil War.

For the post-show Q&A, I was joined by Mrs President‘s director Bronagh Lagan and stars Miriam Grace Edwards and Sam Jenkins-Shaw to learn more about the real-life people portrayed, the power of grief, artistic ethics, the evolution of photography, second-class citizens, threats to women’s rights, how an iconic photograph can shape history, and other resonances for the play at the start of a new Trump administration.

Oh, and whether you’d rather come back in your next life as a camera or a chair – no spoilers, you’ll have to see the play for this one to really make sense! Shoutout too to designer Gregor Donnelly‘s incredible picture-frame set, which totally transforms the space at Charing Cross.

Mrs President continues at London’s Charing Cross Theatre until 16 March 2025.

Q&A video

With thanks to Nina Studer.

Q&A photos

With thanks to Darren Ross.

On social media

Can the world’s first celebrity photographer change the public image of Abraham Lincoln’s wife?

Signs ready for tonight’s #MrsPresident Q&A at London’s Charing Cross Theatre. #theatre #Londontheatre

Any Qs for director or cast? 🎟️ charingcrosstheatre.co.uk/theatre/mrs-…

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— Terri Paddock (@terripaddock.bsky.social) February 20, 2025 at 5:23 PM

📸 A picture is worth a 1000 words? And a place in history? Can an image define a person? Or a nation?

Power, legacy & identity collide in this gripping new play about Mary Lincoln.

Join me for tonight’s #MrsPresident perf + Q&A 👉 charingcrosstheatre.co.uk/theatre/mrs-…

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— Terri Paddock (@terripaddock.bsky.social) February 20, 2025 at 5:23 PM