Albert Chen ‘23
I’ll say it again: this year’s production of Radium Girls was bold, creative, and masterfully executed. The play Radium Girls follows the true historical events of the female factory workers in the 1920s who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with paint made from radium dust. They were told that the paint was harmless and instructed to put their brushes on their lips in order to expedite the painting process, ingesting copious amounts of radium in the process. As result, many of the female workers experienced extreme adverse health effects leading most to a decrepit descent to an early grave. However, a few of the girls refused to take the punishment and decided to sue their former employer, the United States Radium Corporation. At the center of this is the play’s protagonist, former factory worker Grace Fryer, played by Katie Locke ‘22. Through the lawsuit, the plot takes the audience through a journey that explores the nuanced themes of loss, guilt, and integrity as they witness Grace Fryer lose everything, from her health to her fiancé, in her battle against her former employer. In the end, the play refuses to leave the audience with a fairy tale happy ending. Rather, it opts for a more bittersweet approach as Grace finally receives the financial compensation she was fighting for, but not the acknowledgment of wrongdoing that she was dying for.
Photo Courtesy of Ellen Erikson
Radium Girls was bold. Radium Girls held back no punches as it tugged at the audience’s heartstrings throughout its two-hour duration. It didn’t shy away from uncomfortable themes as to do so would be to misrepresent the realities lived by the girls in real life. What stuck out to me most was the continual sense of hopelessness the audience experiences as they root for the triumph of their protagonist despite the fact that, at the back of their minds, they know it is in vain. Contributing to this sense of hopelessness is a feeling of disorientation as the play fails to present a clear antagonist. Even Grace’s opponent in court, the President of the US Radium Corporation, Arthur Roeder, played by Kevin Landaiche ‘23, is depicted in a morally ambiguous light as he, nor anyone else, had any knowledge of the harmful effects of radium, a substance that was advertised to be a miracle drug at that time. The result of this is a well of blame emanating from the audience with no clear location to go. Radium Girls didn’t leave the audience with a feel-good story that let them sleep easy at night. Instead, it left the audience with a message: the world is nuanced.
Radium Girls was creative. Unlike past years where the fall play was shown in the Black Box Theater, due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s production was shown mainstage in the theater. As a result, the production’s technical crew had to adapt to the new circumstances, and they did so with flying colors. Notable additions include the increased use of projections and sound effects, both of which greatly aided the overall performance by further immersing the audience in the world of Radium Girls. Despite the novelty, the new elements integrated seemly with the performance. The technical crew behind Radium Girls really made the most of a suboptimal situation through creative problem solving and being adaptable.
Radium Girls was masterfully executed. While the nuanced plot and the professional production provide a solid foundation, what truly carries the play’s message and immerses the audience are the sublime performances by the cast. Katie Locke ‘22 did an amazing job authentically depicting Grace Fryer’s decline from a naive carefree girl with plans for a wedding a family, to a vengeful woman seeking retribution from those who had wronged her. Kevin Landaiche ‘23 nailed the landing in his first-ever production playing the role of Arthur Roeder, a young upstart president whose idealism leads to a series of terrible decisions. While it would be easy to hate the character of Mr. Roeder, Landaiche amply conjured the sympathy of the audience of a man who just simply doesn’t know better. However, what was really impressive was the quality performances by the supporting cast whose acting brought the play’s setting and plot to life. These include Logan Schlitt ‘23, Alaina Guo ‘22, Will Esterhai ‘24, Aaron Zhu ‘25, Anika Agarwal ‘23, Lucas Liang ‘25, Harrison Barnes ‘23, Sarah Kotapka ‘23, Sarah Memmo ‘22, Cecilia Doherty ‘23, Lindsay Knight ‘24, Sarah Taylor ‘24, Elle du Pont ‘25, and Brooklyn Smith ‘23.
I went into the theater to be entertained but left with something more. This year’s production of Radium Girls was truly something special. From the plot to the performances, everything culminated in an experience that will stick with the audience for a long time. I’ll say it one last time because it’s true: Radium Girls is bold, creative, masterfully executed, and something that everyone involved should be proud of.