Greatest Showman actress and theater royalty Keala Settle will star in a new take on Madam President at London’s Charing Cross Theater early next year.
Keala stars as Mary in one of her most dramatic roles to date. She will be joined by Hal Fowler ((Les Miserables) who stars as Matthew Brady, the world’s first celebrity photographer who helped shape America’s visual history.
The play focuses on Mary Lincoln, a woman under siege with her grief, her detractors, and herself. In the shadow of her late husband, President Abraham Lincoln, she battles a world that wants to define her and a conscience that will not rest. Accused of treason and rejected by society, she turns to Matthew Brady to help her reclaim her story. But when the lens is turned between them, the power shifts and their collaboration spirals into a fierce battle for authorship, truth and control.
Following the original staging in 2025, Mrs President opens at Charing Cross Theater in a newly reworked version. This is the result of a deep dramaturgical development and a creative workshop period in New York that revealed bold new layers in the work.
Keala said: “I was so struck by Mary’s story and by the profound human cost she endured. She was a woman whose identity for centuries was put in a box and whose legacy continues to be defined by other people’s ideologies. I am excited by this opportunity to tell her story and connect with London audiences. I hope they will see both myself and Mary in a whole new light.”
Director Bronagh Lagan added: “In today’s polarized political climate, Mary Lincoln’s journey – navigating intense public scrutiny while balancing her roles as wife, mother and political figure – feels deeply resonant. Through her strength and vulnerability, Madam President urges us to rethink how society and the media portray women and reveals the human cost of leadership and the resilience required to endure it.”
The creative team includes designer Anna Kelsey, lighting designer Derek Anderson and sound designer Eamonn O’Dwyer. Madam President is produced by the Art Pond Foundation with general management by Aria Entertainment.
Madam President runs from 23 January to 8 March 2026, with a press evening on 27 January. More information is available here.
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