The Half-Life of Marie Curie
Let’s face it, ladies, it’s never been easy to be a woman. It’s tough now, and it was much more difficult in the early 20th century when Polish-born Marie Curie (aka Maria Salome Sklodowska-Curie) was a physicist and chemist who revolutionized the scientific understanding of radioactivity.
Curie’s work led to new cancer treatments and the discovery of radium and polonium. She was also the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, receiving the award in 1903 for radiation research. In 1911, she won a second Nobel Prize in chemistry for isolating radium.
Now New Village Arts Theater in Carlsbad presents playwright Lauren Gunderson’s fascinating play “The Half-Life of Marie Curie,” a two-character piece that shows Curie and older scientist/electromechanical engineer Hertha Ayrton (portrayed by Leigh Scarritt) playing lickety split off each other in a 90-minute, no-stops-allowed piece that may wear you out as much as it surely tires them.
Frequently seen on the NVA stage, Actors’ Equity member Scarritt takes it upon herself to teach the young Curie how to survive in this environment, where women are not encouraged to work, let alone to, you know, SAY anything to the men with whom she shares the science.
Daughter of a Polish Jewish watchmaker and a seamstress, Ayrton gave herself freedom to dress and act much more flamboyantly than her younger counterpart (credit costume designer Claire Peterson).
The British Ayrton (full name Phoebe Sarah Hertha Ayrton), was an electrical engineer, mathematician, physicist, inventor, and suffragette. Born Phoebe Sarah Marks, she was awarded the Hughes Medal by the Royal Society for her work on electric arcs and ripple marks in sand and water.
Rachael VanWormer is also often seen on this stage, and never fails to perform magnificently. Her character Marie Curie got a doctor of science at the Sorbonne and was awarded half of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903, for a study into spontaneous radiation. In 1911 she received a second Nobel, this time in chemistry, for her work in radioactivity. In 1921, President Harding of
the United States presented her with one gram of radium in recognition of her service to science.
Director Kym Pappas gives them plenty of time and space to show us how they worked together.
I wish I could write faster and remember better (or at least have gotten hold of the script) so that I could quote accurately how the women deal with each other and some of the often-amusing things they say. These were two very special women, and Gunderson gives us a wonderful glimpse of two extraordinary women.
But never mind, be aware that this is a play like none you’ve ever seen. It is also one you should not miss, especially if you are a woman and have lived through some of the problems we still have with the male of the species, though mostly to a lesser degree.
The details
“The Half-Life of Marie Curie” plays through Feb. 23, 2025 at the Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center, 2787 State Street in Carlsbad.
Shows are Thursday through Sunday. Times: 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday; 2 pm Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Approximate runtime: 90 minutes with no intermission.
Tickets are available through the box office at info@newvillagearts.org, or by calling (760)433-3245. Box office hours are Tuesday-Friday from 12-5 p.m.
The real Hertha Ayrton
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