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.

From the show:

With lyricism and wit, playwright Lauren Gunderson has crafted an honest, unexpected story that follows Marie Curie during the summer of 1912 when news of her secret affair threatens to overshadow her second Nobel Prize win. Heartbroken, Curie leaves France to stay with Ayrton at her home on the British seaside, and together they confront the scandal that could end Curie’s career — and drastically alter her life.

Directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch, THE HALF-LIFE OF MARIE CURIE is a timely celebration of two brilliant women who have been overlooked by history for too long. Written expressly for Audible through its Emerging Playwrights Fund.

Critic Reviews (12)

"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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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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"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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"Kate Mulgrew and Francesca Faridany Muse Over Science and Sexism in Lauren Gunderson's 'THE HALF-LIFE OF MARIE CURIE'"
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"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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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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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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"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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Cast and creative team