Mrs President to play Charing Cross Theatre in London

Mrs President, a historical drama about Mary Lincoln, the wife of US president Abraham Lincoln, is coming to the West End’s Charing Cross Theatre next year.

Mrs President will run at Charing Cross Theatre from 31 January to 16 March 2025.

The play by John Ransom Phillips will be directed by Bronagh Lagan (Cruise, Flowers for Mrs. Harris), and stars Miriam Grace Edwards (One of the Boys, Romeo & Juliet) as Mary Lincoln, and Sam Jenkins-Shaw (The King and I, Twelfth Night) as Mathew Brady.

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.

The wider creative team for Mrs President includes 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.

Writer John Ransom Phillips said in a statement: “I am thrilled for London audiences to experience Mary Lincoln’s powerful and poignant story. Her journey through unimaginable loss, resilience, and self-discovery is both timeless and profoundly human. This is an opportunity to see her not as history has often misjudged her, but as a multifaceted, courageous woman who fought to reclaim her identity in the face of overwhelming tragedy.”

Director Bronagh Lagan said: “I am delighted to be directing the London premier of Mrs President. The story feels especially important given today’s polarised political climate. Mary Lincoln’s journey—navigating intense public scrutiny while balancing her roles as wife, mother, and political figure—resonates powerfully. Her strength and vulnerability challenge us to rethink how society and media portray women, highlighting the human cost of leadership and the resilience required to endure it.”

Actor Miriam Grace Edwards said: “What I love about the play is that it gives Mary Todd Lincoln a voice. Like so many women throughout history she was silenced, her legacy is one of shame, insanity, hysteria and mental illness. The play allows her to tell her side of the story, inviting the audience to consider her grief, the love that she had for her family – we see a human being who’s life has been torn apart rather than simply ‘an insane woman thrown into an asylum’. It’s an honour to have the opportunity to play her.”

Mrs President is playing at Charing Cross Theatre from 31 January to 16 March 2025.

Currently playing at Charing Cross Theatre is Jack and the Beanstalk: What a Whopper! until 11 January 2025; and coming up following Mrs President is new musical Stiletto, from 24 March to 15 June 2025.

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Main photo: Mrs President - Miriam Grace Edwards & Sam Jenkins-Shaw