John Ransom Phillips’ historical drama about Mary Todd Lincoln runs until 16 March
Mrs President is an attempt to “rescue” a woman whom history has included only as a mean footnote. Unfortunately, despite the best intentions, there she remains.
Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s wife, makes a visit to the studio of renowned photographer Matthew Brady in an effort to fix her public image. She wishes to show the nation who she really is, and Brady believes he can do that: “I shape the image of people who shape America. Past. Present. Future.”
Thereafter we see multiple attempts by Mary to show Brady what she wishes to show the public, and Brady consistently coming up with his own ideas.
The format feels very conventional: Gregor Donnelly’s design sees a classic portrayal of a photographer’s studio, filled with dark wood furniture, brightened by beige walls and carpets. The costumes are similarly traditional: hooped dresses and fringed shawls, as are seen in the images Brady actually took of Mrs Lincoln. But, perhaps trying to shake things up, director Bronagh Lagan has decided to splice scenes with choreographed slow-motion episodes, paired with a yearning piano soundtrack. It’s hard to see what these add to the story. Another odd decision, this time writer John Ransom Phillips’, the camera and the studio chair are animate: Sharing an intimate moment in the studio alone, the chair wishes she were a tree again, the camera is worried for his impending obsolescence.
The trouble is, this is a story of a woman about whom we clearly know very little, except that she suffered much loss. And, despite working on this script for a decade, Ransom Phillips fails to surmise any kind of personality. While desperate to show that Mary was more than a mother, daughter and a wife – if that’s all society will allow her to be – it’s very unlikely you’ll find anything else. History doesn’t document potential. And despite this being a work of fiction, Ranson Phillips seems reticent to make anything up about her. So instead, he’s opted for a talking chair.
Meanwhile on Broadway, writer Cole Escola has spotted the same hole in history: Who really was Mrs President Lincoln? But rather than simply asking the question, in his comedy Oh, Mary!, Escola has come up with an answer, as ridiculous as it may be: Mary was a party girl who dreamed of being a cabaret dancer. And why not? Perhaps Ranson Phillips needs to take his cue from Escola for a more fulfilling theatrical experience.
Miriam Grace Edwards and Sam Jenkins-Shaw do their best to give this script energy and dynamic, but when the dialogue’s emotional peak goes as follows: “You see your son as an apple!” / “It is easier to lose an apple than a son!”- well, there’s not a lot you can do.