About this episode

Natalie Maher interviews Keala Settle and Hal Fowler about their roles in the play Mrs. President, exploring themes of power, identity, and media manipulation.

In this special backstage episode, Natalie sits down with  Keala Settle  and  Hal Fowler , the stars of  Mrs. President  at the Charing Cross Theatre - a gripping reimagining of Mary Lincoln’s fight to reclaim her reputation after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Keala Settle delivers a powerhouse performance as a woman vilified by history, navigating grief, public scrutiny and the crushing weight of expectation. Opposite her, Hal Fowler plays photographer Mathew Brady, the man tasked with restoring her image - a collaboration that becomes as volatile as it is revealing. In this candid conversation, Keala and Hal explore the emotional intensity of the piece, the fine line between truth and public narrative, and why Mary Lincoln’s story feels startlingly contemporary. They discuss power, identity, media manipulation and the cost of being misunderstood - themes that resonate far beyond the 19th century. Raw, insightful and unexpectedly timely, this is a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain of one of London’s most thought-provoking productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More episodes of Theatre Audience Podcast

• Love, Loss & Letting Go · April 23, 2026 · 50 min
• The Holy Rosenbergs, A Mirrored Monet & Jaja’s African Hair Braiding · April 16, 2026 · 29 min
• The Offies, Paco Peña: Solera & John Proctor Is the Villain · April 9, 2026 · 34 min
• Sarah-Louise Young on Cabaret, Chaos & An Evening Without Kate Bush · April 6, 2026 · 33 min
• Savage, You Matched With, Turn it Out with Tiler Peck & Friends and Teeth 'n' Smiles · April 2, 2026 · 38 min
• The Hunger Games & Romeo & Juliet · March 26, 2026 · 40 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Theatre Audience Podcast podcast page.