The performance carefully crafted by the talented “Radium Girls” cast was luminous. Each cast member was able to present the paradoxical nature of humanity, one made up of both compassion and despicableness. Through minimalistic but powerful set design, captivating lighting, and extremely empowering acting, the performance precisely portrayed each emotion the characters experienced.
The show is centered around Grace Fryer played by Saleya Scott ‘25 who mysteriously falls ill after her employer. Arthur Roeder–played by Alan Hodder ‘25–implements a new best-selling drug that allegedly cures disease; however, such a treatment contains a dangerous substance known as radium, which poisons those who encounter it.
With characters juggling both disease leading to death and the greed of mankind, “Radium Girls” successfully evoked raw emotion from the sparkling performances of all cast members. Scott and Hodder were able to captivate audiences, as both actors were able to achieve a sense of mistreatment of the world around their characters through different, albeit seemingly paralleled storylines. The production has been backed by serious preparation and dedication to the craft.
According to CJ Alexander ‘24, “There are a couple instances where people change onstage… to symbolize a different character. It’s super cool, but very hard to do… we’ve also been experimenting with special effects makeup… so they have cancerous growths on their face that they have to apply in two minutes before they need to go onstage, and then peel and reapply their normal makeup, so that’s been difficult. A lot of these… rehearsals have been spent specifically getting these scene changes and transitions just right.”
Not only was the cast dutifully accomplishing near perfection with their performance, but so was the light and sound crew as their effects added even more levels of depth to the production. Scott expresses, “All of our lights and sound crew are just really amazing and they’re really putting their all into the performance, so I’m very proud of all of them.”
Such tech and set designs helped perfectly illuminate each performer. When viewing, the entire production exists as a deeply accurate and philosophical commentary on excessive desires for wealth, the pesky, hive-like nature of media and press, and the conditions of humankind.
Hodder expresses the nuances of the production, “It’s a fun show, it’s very different… but I still think it’s enjoyable in the sense that you get more emotional value and… a deeper sense of the show itself and of the characters, making it a more interesting experience as opposed to just a funny one.” The show was soundly based on real experiences, tackling issues such as medical gaslighting and the overly intense press when searching for a scoop; but the production held comedic elements too, as viewers were found laughing on multiple occasions. From deals between sleazy businessmen – and even scummier doctors – to a protagonist one can only root for, “Radium Girls” was a sweeping accomplishment.
