Mrs President
Art Pond Foundation presents
MRS PRESIDENT
Written by John Ransom Phillips
Directed by Bronagh Lagan

Keala Settle is Mrs President.

Mary Lincoln is 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 eager to define her and a conscience that will not rest. Accused of treason and shunned by society, she turns to Mathew Brady, the world’s first celebrity photographer — played by Hal Fowler (Les Miserables, Aspects of Love, Flowers for Mrs Harris) — to help her reclaim her story. But as the lens turns between them, the power shifts, and their collaboration spirals into a fierce struggle for authorship, truth, and control.

Following its original staging in 2025, Mrs President opens at the Charing Cross Theatre in a newly reimagined version — the result of deep dramaturgical development and a creative workshop period in New York that uncovered bold new layers within the piece.

This is not a remount, but a reinvention — richer in scope, sharper in focus, and more hauntingly human.

Re-envisioned under the direction of Bronagh Lagan (Cruise, Broken Wings) and written by artist, playwright, and historian John Ransom Phillips, the production features Broadway musical theatre star Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman, Waitress, Les Miserables) in a rare non-singing dramatic role that showcases her extraordinary depth and power.

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Franz & Marie

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Franz & Marie

"Franz & Marie is a visceral journey into the heart of a good man broken by a bad world."

Set in the twisted world of late 19th Century European Folklore, after action on the front line a platoon of young soldiers has been stationed in an isolated outpost for months awaiting further orders. Among them is Franz Woyzeck, a man haunted by nightmares since his return. He sees fire in the sky—hallucinations that blur the line between reality and trauma. Franz lives for two people: his girlfriend Marie, and their baby, Georgie. Forbidden from taking leave during the war, they haven’t been able to marry, but his devotion is absolute- he goes above and beyond to provide for Marie and his child.  

 

“An Authentic Soul-Rattling Folk Musical” 

Franz & Marie is a unique and visceral musical that breathes new life into Georg Büchner’s classic German tragedy, Woyzeck, with soul-rattling Indie Raw Folk.  It was originally commissioned two decades ago by the award-winning Korean company Acom and created by key members of the Kentish underground cult band, The Singing Loins.  Franz & Marie is an adaptation of that Singing Loins show, reimagined with a 14 strong cast of actor-musicians.

"The brutal poetry of the ordinary man”

Directed by Michael Oakley, Franz & Marie has been adapted for the stage by Teresa Howard based on the book and lyrics by Chris Broderick, music by Rob Shepherd and Chris Broderick - The Singing Loins, arrangements, orchestrations and, additional music by Steven Edis, choreography by Ben Wright, lighting design by Christopher Nairne and sound design by Andrew Johnson and Oscar Cotran with design by Bretta Gerecke. Fight Choreographer: Ronin Traynor.


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