As all eyes nervously turn to a new inhabitant of the White House, on this side of the Atlantic, Miriam Grace Edwards commands the stage in Mrs President, a historical drama that resurrects the tempestuous legacy of Mary Todd Lincoln, widow of Abraham.
Directed by Bronagh Lagan—whose deft touch with complex female narratives feels tailor-made for this material—the play dissects the collision of grief, ambition, and public scrutiny that defined one of America’s most polarising First Ladies.
Through John Ransom Phillips’ script and a design team that melds period authenticity with modern theatricality, this production positions Mary not as a footnote to her husband’s presidency but as a woman clawing agency from the jaws of history’s judgment.
Set before, and in the fractured aftermath of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Mrs President follows Mary’s desperate bid to reclaim her narrative. She enlists celebrity photographer Matthew Brady—architect of her husband’s public image—to reshape her reputation through the emerging power of portraiture.
Their alliance spirals into a psychological duel: Mary demands control over her likeness, while Brady weaponises his lens as both scalpel and cudgel.
Miriam Grace Edwards’ interpretation of Mary’s volatility and vulnerability is what keeps the audience engaged, it’s an extraordinary performance, especially when paired with Sam Jenkins-Shaw’s Brady.
Phillips’ script clearly puts Mary’s journey at the forefront, but it sometimes lacks narrative cohesion. The character of Brady is an amalgamation of at least two real-life photographers (it was William Mumler who actually took the ‘ghost’ picture) as well as a number of other influences on Mary’s life. Its bending of the truth, undoubtedly for the purposes of telling a complex story in seventy-five minutes, diminishes the other historical accuracies that have been so carefully woven through this play.
It also misses out large parts of an interesting life; Mary’s fight for a pension, accusations of treason and financial impropriety are all missing from this account. It does however, look good. Gregor Donnelly’s set and Matt Powell’s video design create some striking moments.
Mrs President is a valiant attempt to tell the story of a woman who tried to cement her own legacy. It bravely confronts the psychological issues that haunted the First Lady, but struggles to engage its audience in a meaningful way.
