‘The Half-Life of Marie Curie’ enthralls on Elgin stage

It’s unfortunate that the Janus Theatre Company production of “The Half-Life of Marie Curie” only runs through Nov. 5 at the Elgin Art Showcase. Thanks to the astute direction of Janus co-founder Sean Hargadon (who also did the set, light and sound designs) and the talents of well-known area actors Doreen Dawson and Heidi Swarthout, this production is exceptional. All three have extensive theater backgrounds and are joined by equally experienced stage manager Elizabeth Dawson.

“The Half-Life of Marie Curie” is Janus’ final show of its 25th season, and is the production’s Chicago area premiere. Playwright Lauren Gunderson’s 90-minute drama, based on factual events, relays the story of Marie Curie’s enduring friendship with fellow scientist, suffragist and mathematician Hertha Ayrton. And it’s not a drama full of dull, encyclopedic dialogue. Gunderson has interjected many humorous and witty comments (When asked about her suffragist daughter Barbara being in jail, Ayrton replies: “Oh, she’ll be all right. I know a lot of people there,” and Curie describes Einstein as “wandering the hall and looking a bit off”).

Curie discovered radium and polonium, winning the 1911 Nobel prize for chemistry, and also was noted for being the first woman to be employed as a professor at the University of Paris. In 1912, Curie was the subject of vicious gossip over a supposed affair with Frenchman Paul Langevin, basically erasing her achievements in the public’s eyes. Curie was demoralized by the press who labeled her a “foreign Jewish temptress” and “a home-wrecking traitor” after Langevin’s wife exposed the affair publicly. Curie’s husband, Pierre, had died in 1906 in an accident; Langevin was estranged from his wife.

Deeply depressed, fearing for her two daughters, and relentlessly hounded by journalists, Curie retreated from the public. Ayrton reminded Curie of her accomplishments and invited her to escape from Paris to her seaside retreat on the British coast for the summer. There, Curie and Ayrton bond, bicker, share ideas and live in a time not open to women as Curie regains peace of mind.

The one platform set, although minimalist, suggests both the style and tone of the time period, and it’s perfect: ornate, heavy wooden furniture, mixed with tapestry and brocaded chairs and oriental rugs. The costumes by D.D.S. are also perfect. Visually appealing and era appropriate with cinched waists, long skirts and vests, corsets and plumed hats, the garments certainly inform the audience of the social positions and personalities of the two characters.

Doreen Dawson portrays Hertha Ayrton. From the moment she steps onstage to inform you that she has removed the initial hiss and sputter of electricity, she has captivated you with her no-nonsense, strong, commanding and buoyant character. Dawson is confident, energetic and, at times, formidable; she brings home her suffragist character and her fury over the stupidity of males. Dawson also maintains a consistent British accent, and is a powerful and passionate actress with a soft and understanding interior. You really will believe she “got on a few boats and punched a few journalists” to come rescue Curie in Paris. “I am an electromagnetic engineer and the mother of two, I can fix anything.” The origin of her name by choice is quite intriguing – she was born Sarah Marks, and her first name, Hertha, comes from a Swinburne poem, and her second name from her marriage.

Heidi Swarthout portrays Marie Curie. She maintains a consistent French-Polish accent; her Curie is complicated – at times morose – but Swarthout has the unique ability to also make her charming and vulnerable. At times incandescent, Swarthout makes us feel Curie’s anxiety, fear and world weariness. Her Curie is haunted, carrying a vial of glowing radium she’s loathe to separate from as it reminds her of her late husband. We are sympathetic to her constantly questioning who she is and what she’s done. “I don’t know what’s left of me or what’s for me.”

Both actresses are fully dimensional (good writing) and genuinely interesting (good directing). Dawson and Swarthout have a compelling chemistry, putting their stamps on the roles of Ayrton and Curie. They are simply outstanding performers, whether alone or together onstage.

“The Half-Life of Marie Curie” is an ode to the two women’s legendary brilliance and camaraderie; it’s an educating slice of history, particularly the final scene’s litany of accomplishments of the two in World War I (Curie’s invention of the portable X-ray and Ayrton’s fluid, dynamic fan for use in the trenches with mustard gas).

Gunderson is one of the most produced living playwrights in America, and is also known as “America’s favorite playwright” for her prolific writing, reputation for works that center on women’s stories, and her specialization in uplifting themes and historical facts. (“Silent Sky” and “The Book of Will” being two of my favorites.)

Janus Theatre is planning on another of Gunderson’s plays for the 2024 season: “The Revolutionists.” If it’s anywhere as good as “The Half-Life of Marie Curie,” I’ll be in that audience, too.

[The 90-minute play has adult language and content.]

• Regina Belt-Daniels is a Retired Reading Recovery and special education teacher who loves to direct and act; when not traveling with her husband, she can be found onstage, backstage, and writing theater reviews somewhere. She currently is directing “It’s A Wonderful Life: The Radio Play” for Elgin Theatre Company.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “The Half-Life of Marie Curie” by Janus Theatre Company

WHERE: Elgin Art Showcase, eighth floor, 164 Division St., Elgin

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3 to 5

TICKETS: $20

INFORMATION: Eventbrite at tinyurl.com/y2e268ce