‘Mrs President' stars Keala Settle as Mary Lincoln, the First Lady of Abraham Lincoln. We see her through the view of Matthew Brady (played by Hal Fowler), an acclaimed photographer of the time who wishes to take the perfect portrait of the influential figurehead.
Unfortunately, the writing (John Ransom Phillips) falls flat and lacks any sort of development or real understanding. Throughout the show, many difficult themes are approached (women's rights, slavery and grief to name a few) yet none are allowed the chance to reach any sort of emotional climax. Such topics need to be approached with delicacy and care, especially when so heavy. Yet, they felt like last-minute additions, awkwardly shoved into the dialogue with little reason or development.
The set design (Anna Kelsey) was a definite highlight of the production, with impressive staging, props and projections used throughout. With only two actors on stage, it was quite a feat to transition between scenes and I found myself wishing for more of the projections to help really identify the change in time.
I did, however, often find myself confused in the change of characters, themes and scenes. Fowler was given the task of performing as multiple historical figures, and although he did a good job with characterisation, the script didn't give the audience the time to actually understand what was happening. It was a shame to watch him working hard to that degree to little effect.
The overarching messages of the show, for me, felt incredibly heavy-handed. We're supposed to sympathise with Mary and watch her navigate the social and political landmine of being an influential woman during the mid 1800s. Yet, I found it hard to sympathise with her when the message was being so overtly wedged into each scene. Each monologue would start and end with the exact same point, long arguments and discussions between characters starting and finishing much in the way they started. We were being spoon-fed obvious metaphors, removing the need for any analysis or interpretation of the script.
Overall, I think ‘Mrs President' is a confused production, attempting to do too much with the content at hand. Keala Settle and Hal Fowler do their best with the material, but ultimately, I left the theatre feeling as though I understood the character of Mary Lincoln even less than how I began.
It runs until 8 March.
Review: Bethany Chandler Photo: Pamela Raith