REVIEW: Audible Theater’s ‘The Half-Life of Marie Curie’ in NYC
Photo: The Half-Life of Marie Curie stars, from left, Kate Mulgrew and Francesca Faridany. Photo courtesy of Joan Marcus / Provided by BBB with permission.
The Half-Life of Marie Curie, the new two-hander from playwright Lauren Gunderson, provides an entertaining and poignant look at two women living 100 years before 2019 and how the lessons of their life can stretch across the decades and provide context and influence on today’s society. Thankfully the deliverers of these messages are Kate Mulgrew, offering a commanding performance as suffragette and engineer Hertha Ayrton, and Francesca Faridany, providing a heartbreaking take on the world-famous chemist Marie Curie.
This is not to say that The Half-Life of Marie Curie, which is presented by Audible Theater at off-Broadway’s Minetta Lane Theatre, is solely a “message” play meant to energize its audience into action, although it is admittedly difficult not to be inspired by these two women. There are wink-winks at the #MeToo movement and the modern struggle for gender equality; however, Gunderson’s thoughtful and careful words are also quite humanizing and historical. She imbues the play with a sense of time and place, a sense of emotionality and hurt. These are true characters who lived lives of import and consequence, and thanks to Gaye Taylor Upchurch’s direction, their stories come into fine focus.
The opening scene finds Curie dealing with the aftermath of an affair that has grabbed the headlines and threatened her status in the scientific community. This comes at the same time she’s prepared to collect her second Nobel Prize. In order to flee the allegations and scrutiny, she seeks the help of her good friend, Ayrton, an early feminist who rightfully believes Curie is receiving unfair treatment in the public spotlight only because she is a woman in a male-dominated profession.
The two retreat to Ayrton’s coastal house in the United Kingdom, and they enjoy each other’s company — discussing science, life, sex, the burgeoning women’s suffrage movement and the strange vial of radioactive material that Curie hangs around her neck, almost like a talisman.
Mulgrew is funny and powerful as Ayrton. She walks around the Minetta Lane Theatre stage with her head held high, confident and caring. She is a modern woman, a strong influence on Curie’s life, a widow and someone who claims her independence as a non-negotiable human right. In other words, she’s thrilling to behold and fascinating to watch. Mulgrew, an accomplished theater and TV star, finds the right balance between powerful voice and helpful friend.
Faridany’s portrayal is more subdued and emotional, but that’s mostly because this time in Curie’s life is so difficult. She is not able to exercise her scientific knowledge and brilliance to its fullest effect because the discrimination against her and women in general is so suffocating. She spends much of the 85-minute play crying and wondering what’s next for her in life. At times, due to constant coughing and a general sick pallor, it appears that the gossip of her affair is not only impacting her health, but one day may take her life. Faridany finds pathos and solace within the character, and truly allows her to jump from the history books and into the audience’s heart.
Together, these two fine actors are able to convey such strength and such believable friendship. A lot falls on their shoulders because they never leave the stage, except for a few moments when they stand behind a column. The performers, like the characters they portray, are in the spotlight from beginning to end, facing the scrutiny of the audience / the world. Sometimes they step downstage and present a poetic verse or mini-monologue that affords a rare chance to look at the hearts and minds of these two dear friends. As they process and contextualize their life, with admittedly self-aware dialogue, they rely on what they know best to understand the rights they are fighting for and the societal pressures put upon them. At their core, one is an engineer, and the other a chemist. They never forget these professional callings because they so influence their personal characters.
The Half-Life of Marie Curie is powerful theater that provides a historical snapshot that reverberates with a multitude of connections to today’s society.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Half-Life of Marie Curie, starring Kate Mulgrew and Francesca Faridany, is currently playing the Minetta Lane Theatre in the West Village of New York City. The Audible Theater production is written by Lauren Gunderson and directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch. Click here for more information and tickets. Rating: 
