The Ensemble Theatre has taken on some daring works and the Half Life of Marie Curie is their latest work as they move into the mid-year part of their season. Spanning 90 minutes and featuring only two characters, the play is concise and tells the story of Marie Curie, the famous scientist, focussing on the time that she was forced out of Paris after allegations of an extramarital affair. 

The play also focusses around Curie’s friendship with Hertha Ayrton, a British electromechanical engineer who becomes the lifeblood of the story, serving as Curie’s friend and companion.  

Both Gabrielle Scawthorn as Curie and Rebecca Massey as Ayrton perform superbly, embodying the trials and tribulations of being a top-performing female scientist in the early 20^th century. Scawthorn in particular does a fine job of exploring the torment of Curie as she has to deal with a world which is not accepting of her brilliance and indeed tortures her for it. Massey is also fantastic, adding depth to Scawthorn’s portrayal of Curie by providing an appropriate foil whilst also exploring how the scientific world had affected her, confronting themes of jealousy and betrayal as well as loss herself. 

The script perhaps lags behind the skill of the performers to some degree, choosing to focus in on the internal monologues of both characters rather than grounding the production in the rich history of the women. Most of the historical context is relegated to a montage at the end of the production, which feels quite rushed after the rest of the script feels repetitive to a degree as Curie and Ayrton showcase very similar emotions throughout the rest of the production. 

James Browne’s set is simple but clever, allowing the two characters to rotate around the stage as if they are in a field, creating a degree of ambiance within the tight Ensemble Theatre confines. Verity Hampson’s lighting design is also thoughtful and considered, which leads to an ultimately cohesive performance. 

Overall, this is an interesting production that is lifted up by the strong performances of its two actors. They embody the command and poise of Curie and Ayrton and give convincing performances which highlight the struggles that the two women suffered as they rose to the top of their fields. The script is quite simple, bordering on basic, in its treatment of these two incredible historical figures and some more depth and engagement with the history would have been welcomed. Nonetheless, this is still an interesting production and worth a watch for the superb performances of the two leads. 

Rating: ★★★1/2

The Half-Life of Marie Curie plays at the Ensemble Theatre until 12^th July. For more information, click here.

Photo credit: Prudence Upton