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cahwyguy
What do you do when you’re on vacation. Ussens? We don’t stop seeing live theatre; we go out and see what the locals have to offer. And so, today, out in the 109°+ heat, we decided that the best place to be was in the cool of the theatre, out in Surprise AZ, seeing Radium Girls at Stage Left Productions.
Radium Girls, by D. W. Gregory, tells the story of the girls that painted faces on watches and dials in the 1910s and 1920s, before the full dangers of working with radium were fully known by industry. It tells the stories of 3-4 such girls, and how they started to get sick. It tells of their fight to get compensation from the US Radium Company, which fought them to the end. Dramatic Publishing summarizes the play as follows:
In 1926, radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie an international celebrity, and luminous watches the latest rage—until the girls who painted them began to fall ill with a mysterious disease. Inspired by a true story, Radium Girls traces the efforts of Grace Fryer, a dial painter, as she fights for her day in court. Her chief adversary is her former employer, Arthur Roeder, an idealistic man who cannot bring himself to believe that the same element that shrinks tumors could have anything to do with the terrifying rash of illnesses among his employees. As the case goes on, however, Grace finds herself battling not just with the U.S. Radium Corporation, but with her own family and friends, who fear that her campaign for justice will backfire. Written with warmth and humor, Radium Girls is a fast-moving, highly theatrical ensemble piece for 9 to 10 actors, who play more than 30 parts—friends, co-workers, lovers, relatives, attorneys, scientists, consumer advocates, and myriad interested bystanders. Called a “powerful” and “engrossing” drama by critics, Radium Girls offers a wry, unflinching look at the peculiarly American obsessions with health, wealth, and the commercialization of science.
Wikipedia has a nice summary of the true story; there’s even a great book out about these girls.
Focusing on the substance of the play, this was a very interesting story. My wife has a chemistry background, so it was of particular interest to her. What happened to these young women was tragic, and it was essentially in the name of greed. My wife thought the show didn’t stray far from the actual truth of the story, although the pacing was a bit slow. I would think that, especially if you have a science background, you would find this play interesting if it comes around your area (alas, we saw the last performance out in Surprise. Surprise!)
But what I found more interesting, watching this show, was the geographical juxtaposition. Driving down Bell to get to the show, we’re seeing all these street signs from Republican candidates trying to out Trump Trump. Arizona is a divided state, with lots of Trump support. It was interesting watching this play with that in mind. Here you have a business man that wanted the media to spread disinformation for his own use. You have a company that wanted to intentionally delay trials to benefit the company, not caring about the people that it hurt. You had people that wanted to spread disinformation about cures to protect their mishandling of the situation. Sound familiar?
So what does this play speak to, being presented in Trump country? Is it a backhanded way for artists to highlight the hypocrisy of those who seek to exploit others for their own gain? A fair question, and a great reminded of theatre doing what is it supposed to do: Be a mirror to people without making them realize it beforehand. This show had a great message in that respect.
Further, it is timely with respect to the news, as the Navajo Nation is facing continued problems from Uranium mining. According to ABC News in December 2023, “Just miles from the site of the 1979 Church Rock Mill spill, the largest nuclear disaster in American history, uranium extraction operations could resume near the Navajo Nation. Now, Navajo leaders say the health and prosperity of their community could be in even further jeopardy. A Canadian company is working to move forward with uranium extraction, an industry that has a lengthy history around the Navajo Nation.”
We’ve repeatedly seen the interests of business being placed above people. Further the second, we saw this play a day after the Supreme Court dismissed the Chevron doctrine, allowing judges to decide whether regulations are valid, not the scientists and experts. So could the courts do away with protection against radiation in the workplace, and again put the needs of business first? With this court? ’tis possible.
So this was a very, very timely play.
It was also pretty well done. My wife commented on the pacing; I thought it was fine (I’m guessing the pacing was in the script). Performances were pretty strong. I especially liked Anora Biggs as Grace, Scott Sims as Roeder, and Jayda Valentine as Kathryn. Also strong was Charlie Gray as Tom and Ashley Diane as Miss Wiley. My only complaint was with Tracy Burns as the female reporter. At times, she came across as overplaying it a bit, which took away from the illusion being created.
This was the last performance of Radium Girls. Next up at Stage Left is Silent Sky, another Laura Gunderson play. This is another play about women and scientific discoveries. Given the quality of the production we saw, it should be well worth seeing. I also encourage people, when they are travelling, to search out and see local theatre. At least for those outside the major areas, these are folks for whom performing is a local, not their profession. They need encouragement, and these local companies need your support.
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Radium Girls. Written by D. W. Gregory. Directed by Christian Graca.
Cast: Anora Biggs Grace Fryer; Jayda Valentine Katheryn / Society Woman / Ensemble; Ashley Diane Irene / Miss Wiley / Ensemble; Tracy Burns Sob Sister / Mrs. Fryer / Ensemble ; Cara Friday Mrs. Roeder / Mme. Curie; Thomas F. Graca Lee / Bailey / Ensemble; Ryan Dammeyer Berry / Martland / Ensemble; Charlie Gray Tom / Reporter / Ensemble; Will Friday Markley / Van Sochocky / Ensemble; Scott Sims Roeder.
Creative and Production: Christian Graca Director; Thomas F. Graca Stage Manager; Thomas Graca Sound Design; Cody Dull Lighting Design; Christi Gray Costume Design; Christian Gray Hair and Make Up Design; Christian Gray Set and Prop Design; Jeff Jones Set Building; Rodney Rickard, Cody Dull Set Painting; Savoy Graca Casting Consultant; Cody Dull, Rodney Rickard Box Office; Rodney Ricard House Manager.
♦ ♦ ♦
Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.
Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending):
- July: ♦ Peter Pan at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♦ The Sound of Music at 5-Star Theatricals;
- August: ♦ Clue at CTG/Ahamanson Theatre; ♦ Company at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; ♣ Postmodern Jukebox at The Magnolia, El Cajon.
- September: ♦ Hamilton at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages; Cyrano de Bergerac ⊕ at Pasadena Playhouse;
- October: ♦ American Idiot ⊕ at CTG/Taper; ♦ Little Shop of Horrors at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ Kimberly Akimbo at Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages.
On the Theatrical Horizon:
Season renewals time: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; and Pasadena Playhouse are all renewed. We’re looking to see what Chromolume Theatre (which is returning) and Canyon Theatre Guild are planning. Other than that, Jason Alexander will be doing Fiddler on the Roof , directed by Lonny Price, at La Mirada in November. Morgan-Wixson will be doing Bat Boy: The Musical in September, but I don’t think we’ll be able to fit it in.
This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as A Glowing Review | "Radium Girls" @ Stage Left Productions by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.
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Date: 2024-07-02 03:44 am (UTC)