Theatre Review: Marie Curie the Musical

Mrs P

Jun 8

Synopsis

Marie Sklodowska Curie. Physicist. Pioneer. Parent.

As she arrives from her native home in Poland to study at Sorbonne University in Paris, young Marie Sklodowska is certain she can make a name for herself and change the course of science. She discovers radium, a new chemical element, with her husband Pierre Curie, and she's lauded with the Nobel Prize.

But she is faced with an overwhelming moral dilemma. As Marie discovers the lifesaving potential of radium to cure cancer, factory workers handling the glowing substance are succumbing to the insidious grip of radium poisoning.

As a woman with society against her, can she wrestle with both the potential and danger of her discovery – and what is she if radium's dangers overshadow its possibilities?

Pamela Raith Photography

Review

Wife, mother, scientist. Who was Marie Curie? In this new musical, we are asked to consider the woman behind the name. Writer Seun Choun herself only considered this when her daughter asked her about Madame Curie; ashamed not to know more about such an inspirational woman, she did some research and wrote a musical to bring Marie's story to a wider audience.

This is perhaps reflected in the show's beginning with Marie's daughter Irene trying to find answers to her own questions, before we go back and see Marie Sklodowska leaving Poland to study at the Sorbonne. The themes of misogyny are clear from the start, with Marie struggling to be seen as little more than a member of the weaker sex, taking up a space that could have gone to a man. In fact, throughout the show the writer confronts themes of sex, race and class as we see different people struggle to prove themselves.

Having seen Photograph 51, which struggled to do justice to a female scientist, I wonder if choosing to portray Marie's story as a musical was to make it more universally appealing. Unfortunately, the music (Jongyoon Choi) is a bit haphazard and the songs don't work collectively.

That said, there are some standout numbers, with A Map of Everything providing a sweet starting point to Marie's journey, and establishing Ailsa Davidson as a fantastic performer. We instantly see her character's drive and passion, as well as a stubborn streak, but her singing is stunning. This song also introduces us to Chrissie Bhima (Annie Kowalska), who has a tremendous voice and stage presence. Bhima also gives an emotional performance and together the two actors are a delight.

Although it is a small cast, there is a lot of talent, with Maya Kristal Tenenbaum giving a stand out performance as Emilia. The ensemble works really well to show the other - darker - side of Marie's success, complemented by Joanna Goodwin's effective choreography. These poignant scenes cause ripples of unrest in the audience, especially when they are licking radium off their brushes, and when Marie applies radium to a patient's eye. Look away if you're squeamish!

That said, there is something missing from the production, and the subject matter itself is not enough to bewitch the audience, especially as the majority of songs are not memorable. Radium Paradise provides some humour to what is really a sad story, but it feels slightly misplaced and a bit forced. The show has been translated from Korean (by Emma Fraser and Tom Ramsay) and although some of the lyrics feel a bit too literal, they work well to give us a glimpse into Marie's life, although showing more of Marie and Pierre's relationship would have given Marie more humanity.

Rose Montgomery's set is impressive, complete with scientific scrawlings and Periodic Table elements darting across chalkboards and costumes throughout. While the technology is impressive, it is intrusive and - given the fact that we're in the early 1900s - something simpler might have helped the script to shine. For the most part, the costumes blend into the background, but the trousers seem obscenely short, which is distracting!

Considering that Marie Curie is hailed as one of the most inspirational women in science, this production doesn't quite try hard enough to do her justice, but may inspire you to find out more about her.

Rating: 3 out of 5.