“I shape the image of the people who shape America,” Mathew Brady (Sam Jenkins-Shaw) tells Mary Lincoln (Miriam Grace Edwards) as she enters his studio to have her photograph taken.
A controversial and often unpopular figure, Mary (or Mrs President as she insists on being called) has sought out Brady to rehabilitate her image. He is, after all, the man who her husband Abraham Lincoln credits with helping him win the presidency through his portraiture skills. John Ransom Phillips’ play Mrs President, directed by Bronagh Lagan, explores Mary’s time in Brady’s studio, delving into themes of identity and grief along the way.
Through the play, details of Mary’s tragic life emerge. She saw more than her fair share of grief, losing her mother at an early age, witnessing her husband’s assassination, burying three sons, and being committed to an asylum by her fourth. Ransom Phillips’ script does not shy away from the darkness in Mary’s life, making it a powerful but at times challenging watch.
Miriam Grace Edwards provides a masterclass in acting as she handles these emotional scenes without ever moving into melodrama. She presents a sympathetic portrayal of Mary and skilfully portrays her descent into grief and mental health crisis.
Movement direction from Sam Rayner is also crucial to the portrayal of Mary’s pain, with a number of scenes in which she writhes about the stage. Rayner’s movement direction also turns the moments in which Brady takes his photographs almost into a dance, a dramatic touch which heightens the emotions of the piece.
The scenes between Mary and Brady are interspersed with interactions between Lincoln and some of Brady’s other clients (all played by Sam Jenkins-Shaw). While this allows Jenkins-Shaw to show off his considerable range, these scenes can sometimes have the effect of pulling the audience out of the action rather than advancing the narrative.
Gregor Donnelly’s set skilfully recreates the photographer’s studio, with clever use of lighting from Derek Anderson combined with translucent material allowing the darkroom also to be seen as the photographs are exposed. Video design from Matt Powell then sees the finished photographs projected onto the backdrop, an effective touch which adds an additional dimension to the staging.
A moving and challenging piece which poses important questions on identity and how much power we have to shape our own image, Mrs President is an interesting watch from a historical perspective but also handles themes which remain relevant in the present day.
Mrs President runs at Charing Cross Theatre until 16th March.
★★★★☆ (4*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Pamela Raith
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