The Half-Life of Marie Curie
The Half-Life of Marie Curie
83

The Half-Life of Marie Curie NYC Reviews and Tickets

83%
(128 Reviews)
Positive
94%
Mixed
5%
Negative
1%
Members say
Great acting, Absorbing, Intelligent, Entertaining, Great writing

About the Show

Kate Mulgrew ("Orange Is the New Black") stars in this new play about scientist Marie Curie and radical engineer Hertha Ayrton — and the friendship that strengthened their resolve to pursue their ambitions.


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Member Reviews (128)

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1085 Reviews | 265 Followers
73
Slow, Resonant, Profound, Entertaining, Ambitious

See it if A play about two free think very bright woman and their thought process and relationship.

Don't see it if It is more words than action. If you want a fast play or a big production.

982 Reviews | 343 Followers
75
Repetitive, Great acting, Historical, Relevant, Thought-provoking

See it if you enjoy biogrphl theater; learn some abt Curie/lots abt Ayrton. Strg acting (esply Mulgrew in the better role). Funny/feminist insights.

Don't see it if you want a perfect script; HLMC is slow in parts. Same issue repeated. MC seems too weak/weepy. Fight feels manufactured (solutn is easy). Read more

754 Reviews | 124 Followers
90
Resonant, Intelligent, Great acting, Delightful, Absorbing

See it if women's relationships are significant to you. Beautiful subtle script explores the friendship of two brilliant accomplished women.

Don't see it if marital fidelity is an issue for you. This is a serious play with lots of humor not at all experimental or musical.

567 Reviews | 147 Followers
93
Exquisite, Clever, Intelligent, Great writing, Great acting

See it if Lady sesh.Feminist fever dream. Mulgrew is manna. Goddesses of scientific wonder and proof shielded from men and scandal."Beautiful genius."

Don't see it if Radon decay."God made women stronger than the world they're in/She refuses to be told how good she is, knowing how much better she could be" Read more

543 Reviews | 133 Followers
90
Funny, Intelligent, Great acting, Entertaining, Delightful

See it if colorful history lesson about 2 strong, brilliant female friends who help each other become even stronger; excellent chemistry & acting.

Don't see it if you're looking for high drama, action & women with husbands; these 2 large personalities fill the stage with intelligence, humor & science. Read more

544 Reviews | 58 Followers
75
Good acting. good story.

See it if You like a good story about two interesting women in history.

Don't see it if You want comedy or music.

520 Reviews | 107 Followers
18
Confusing, Slow

See it if You want to see a play that takes place over 100 years ago.

Don't see it if Do you have trouble understanding plays that take place along time ago. Two person play Read more

469 Reviews | 54 Followers
74
Overrated, Fluffy, Entertaining

See it if well acted (perhaps a bit overacted) to hear about two people one may not knew about

Don't see it if want to know more about their friendship and the pressures on being women in science. tone of the first half was one note.

Critic Reviews (12)

The New York Times
November 19th, 2019

"Female Chemistry in ‘The Half-Life of Marie Curie’: A new play focuses on the first woman to win the Nobel Prize and her friendship with Hertha Ayrton, a fellow scientist played by Kate Mulgrew."
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Time Out New York
November 19th, 2019

4/5 Stars "A frisky, feminist crowd-pleaser...While the play may not be as inventive as the women it celebrates, it’s enlightening and entertaining...Faridany holds her own opposite supernova Mulgrew...Their performances do a lot to bring Gunderson’s history lesson to life."
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Theatermania
November 19th, 2019

"The Half-Life of Marie Curie Shows How Marie Got Her Groove Back: Audible produces Lauren Gunderson's two-person play about the friendship between Curie and Hertha Ayrton."
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BroadwayWorld
November 30th, 2019

"Kate Mulgrew and Francesca Faridany Muse Over Science and Sexism in Lauren Gunderson's 'THE HALF-LIFE OF MARIE CURIE'"
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Lighting & Sound America
December 10th, 2019

"Improbably, as if via nuclear fission, the life of an iconic female scientist is converted into sparkling high comedy in this amusing, enlightening two-hander."
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New York Stage Review
November 19th, 2019

4/5 Stars "It's rare to classify a show as both fun and educational, but Lauren Gunderson's play is just that, powered by two turn-of-the-20th-century female STEM stars."
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New York Stage Review
November 19th, 2019

2/5 Stars: "Seeming almost like a school play, it's an ode to STEM skills and female friendship, except with four-letter words and great production values."
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TheaterScene.net
December 4th, 2019

"A specialist in biographical plays, her 'The Half-Life of Marie Curie' is of particular interest in that it tells a little-known story of a very famous figure. It is also notable for the vivid performances of Kate Mulgrew and Francesca Faridany."
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