Our American Queen by Thomas Klingenstein, The Bridewell, 12 Bride Lane, London EC4 | until 7 February 2026 ⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

Photo credit: Lidia Crisafulli

Our American Queen

by Thomas Klingenstein

The Bridewell, 12 Bride Lane, London EC4 | until 7 February 2026

⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

“Well acted but of little interest for British audiences.”

This lavishly staged production directed by Christopher McElroen has a good cast and may well be of great interest to Americans but quite frankly is of little interest to audiences here. One can admire what the actors are doing but does one care about the people they are playing when one has no idea who they were? Did it matter? Kate Chase, played by Wallis Currrie-Wood is the daughter of Simon Chase, Abraham Lincoln's Treasury Secretary, who has ambitions to replace Lincoln at the 1864 elections, and she serves as a pawn in his pursuit of power as well as his hostess, a role she relishes. He has a suitable husband in mind whom she does not love. But she is a greedy for power as her father and goes along with the plan. He also has a new wife in mind, a Mrs Eastman played by Christy Mayer, who sees what is happening and tries to persuade Kate that her heart matters more. There is also another rival for the top job in General McLellan, whoever he was, played by Haydn Hoskin who would also like to have the ambitious Kate for a wife. The action takes place round a handsome dinner table empty at first but later set for dinner for twelve all aglitter with fine china, silver cutlery and crystal glasses. At the back of the stage is a large gilt picture from which shows scenes relevant to the age and from time to time the faces of someone who has their back to the audience while delivering a lengthy speech/ This gets very annoying as one starts to wonder just how have they done it. Slap bang mid play there is one of those moments one will long remember so no spoilers but clearly if it happens every night quite a lot of money is being discarded for effect. Kate Chase may have been a formidable political hostess, but the politics of the time are not going to be familiar even in outline to British audiences so just why American Various, a Brooklyn based company have decided to stage the show here is hard to comprehend. Money seems no object. You will leave little wiser at the end than you were at the beginning, and the examination of the kind of roles women were forced to play really does not get properly examined.  Kate has a dalliance with Lincoln's secretary John Hay, played by Tom Victor, who presents her with a book by Dickens dedicated to her and their tentative courtship is rather touching but he is too diffident to win her and she does not want to the lose the power being her father's daughter gives her. Seems too tongue tied to persuade her not to marry the man her father has chosen.

Cast

Wallis Currie-Wood – Kate Chase

Daniel Brockis – Salmon F Chase

Tom Victor – John Hay

Christy Mayer – Mrs Eastman

Creatives

Director – Christopher McElroen

Set Designer - Neal Wilkinson

Costume Designer – Elivia Boenzi Blitz

Lighting Designer – Beril Yanus

Sound Designer – Camilo Tirado