In 1912, scientist Marie Curie spent two months on the British seaside at the home of Hertha Ayrton, an accomplished mathematician, inventor, and suffragette. At the time, Curie was in the throes of a scandal in France over her affair with Paul Langevin, which threatened to overshadow the accomplishment of her second Nobel Prize.
Performed by Kate Mulgrew and Francesca Faridany at the Minetta Lane Theatre, this play by Lauren Gunderson is an ode to two remarkable women who, despite tremendous personal and professional obstacles, continued to devote their lives to scientific innovation and social change.
Playwright Lauren Gunderson was awarded a commission through the Audible Emerging Playwrights Fund, an initiative dedicated to developing innovative original plays driven by language and voice. As an Audible commissioned playwright, she received funding and creative support to develop The Half Life of Marie Curie.
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(Audible Original, 5 December 2019, 1 hour 19 minutes, bought from @audibleuk, free with membership for a limited time, narrated by @TheKateMulgrew & Francesca Faridany)
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I found this play fascinating. I knew very basic information about Marie Curie before I listened to this so I had zero expectations. I was engrossed listening to this. There are a lot of lights moments in the play as Marie Curie seeks refuge from a scandalous affair with her dear friend and fellow scientist, Hertha Ayrton. Marie has been demonised by the media over year years-long affair with a married man. Hertha, a widow wants to know about the sex and tells her to face her tormentors head on and be tough. The play reflects on key moments in history such as WW1 and important advances in science, medicine and technology. There are also some sad moments as well. Hertha's concerns about Marie being sick all the time and carrying a vial of radiation with her, which turn out to be true and the death of both women.
