MARIE CURIE – THE MUSICAL at Charing Cross Theatre

★★★

“The music is the highlight, even though it often feels it belongs to another story.”

Marie Curie, née Maria Salomea Sklodowska, is remembered for her discovery of radium and polonium (the latter named after her native Poland); and for her huge contribution to finding treatments for cancer. The latter is what she is generally celebrated for, along with the hospital and charity that bear her name. Less is probably known about her years of obsessive scientific research and the opposition and misogyny she faced while trying to get her name onto the periodic table. The science goes over most people’s heads, whereas the enduring image is of Marie, buttoned up to the neck in black, gazing unsmiling into the camera.

An unlikely subject for a musical. But composer Jongyoon Choi and librettist Seeun Choun obviously decided to give it a go. After making the finals of the ‘Glocal Musical Live’ competition in Korea it secured funding and eventually premiered in Seoul in 2018. Apparently, Tom Ramsay’s English adaptation (with lyrics translated by Emma Fraser) marks the first time a Korean musical is staged in English.

There are elements to this musical that would have many a physicist scratching their head. Its essence is not instantly discoverable despite condensing Marie’s story into a one act musical. It concentrates on her relocation to Paris, charting her struggle to fit into a man’s world. The narrative follows her research and discoveries, the adverse and tragic effects of these discoveries and the subsequent battles against corporate baddies. The love interest is supplied by fellow scientist and husband, Pierre Curie, although it is a bit of a cold fusion. The passion is reserved for the chemical elements, with love songs titled ‘Radium Paradise’ (parts one and two no less). In fact, the show could have been called ‘Radium: The Musical’.

It opens at the end with Marie’s daughter, Irène (Lucy Young), reading her mother’s memoirs while Ailsa Davidson’s spectral, black-clad Marie watches. Davidson’s fine, pure voice sits well on the lush strings of the prologue as she guides the story back to the start. Rose Montgomery’s changeable set is with her every step of the way, from the train carriage as it pulls into Paris, to the laboratories and the factories. On the journey, Marie meets fellow Pole, Anne Kowalska (Chrissie Bhima), a lowly factory worker who later becomes the voice of justice and moral reasoning. It takes a while to get there, though, with the bulk of the show comprising a song cycle leading up to Marie’s discovery of radium.

The tone darkens when the destructive side of radium manifests itself. Initially used as luminous paint for watches and clock dials, the painters were instructed to lick their brushes to give them a fine point. It didn’t take long for this practice to lead to a sharp peak in the death rate among the workers. Covered up as a syphilis outbreak (did they really think they could get away with that?), the factory boss (Richard Meek) finds himself at loggerheads with Marie.

It is refreshing to see the story focus on a relatively short time span rather than attempting to create an epic chronicle of the woman’s life. It lends a human touch, steering the piece away from docudrama. Marie’s later years and achievements are glossed over during the finale. We might not learn a great deal that we already didn’t know but instead we are joyously swept along by Jongyoon Choi’s sumptuous score, rich in violins, cellos and clarinet. The music is the highlight, even though it often feels it belongs to another story. Choi’s compositions are indeed stirring, yet the lyrics and subject matter don’t always echo the passion.

The passion, however, is undeniable in the performances, and we also come away with some pertinent reminders of the historical struggle of women with a society against them. But despite the beauty of the score, and Emma Fraser’s arrangements, there is a sense that this story belongs more to the spoken word.

MARIE CURIE – THE MUSICAL at Charing Cross Theatre

Reviewed on 7th June 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Pamela Raith

Previously reviewed at this venue:

BRONCO BILLY – THE MUSICAL | ★★★ | January 2024

SLEEPING BEAUTY TAKES A PRICK! | ★★★★ | November 2023

REBECCA | ★★★★ | September 2023

GEORGE TAKEI’S ALLEGIANCE | ★★★★ | January 2023

FROM HERE TO ETERNITY | ★★★★ | November 2022

THE MILK TRAIN DOESN’T STOP HERE ANYMORE | ★★★ | October 2022

RIDE | ★★★★★ | August 2022

VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE | ★★★ | November 2021

MARIE CURIE

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★★★★

“The songs are pools of splendour we would happily bathe in for hours”

According to tradition, King Solomon wrote three books of the bible, the most famous of which is ‘Song of Songs’ (also known as ‘The Song of Solomon’) – a collection of erotic verse that, over time, has been interpreted literally and metaphorically. It is either an allegory for the relationship between God and his people, or a description of a romantic and sexual relationship between a man and a woman. It is apparent that Ofra Daniel, the force behind the musical play – “A Song of Songs” – is of the latter persuasion as she reinterprets the ancient Hebrew text, spinning her own eroticism on the timeless poetry and weaving it into an extraordinary and striking celebration of love, and music. Lush, passionate and sexy, it is a unique theatrical experience that fuses poetry, dance, music and storytelling.

Written, composed (with Lior Ben-Hur) and directed by Daniel, she also plays the narrator – Tirzah – a woman who is “organised differently”. A bittersweet tale of a woman consumed by desire for a lover she never meets. In an unsatisfying marriage to a fisherman, she starts to receive anonymous love letters from a secret admirer which awakens a deep longing in her. Her awakened sensuality turns into obsession until she is eventually known as the ‘crazy poet of love’, surrounded by the Women of Jerusalem who ostracise and envy her. While they obey Solomon’s musical refrain, ‘do not arouse love until it so desires’, for Tirzah it is already too late. She can never put it back to sleep.

Daniel’s performance is powerful and compelling, yet vulnerable and often allowing her to retreat into the shadows cast by the formidable supporting cast. This is in no way a one woman show. The onstage musicians, the dancers and the supporting roles are all on an equal footing, which lends a gorgeous harmony to a musical score that mixes Flamenco, Klezmer and the exotic sounds of the Middle East. The musicians often wander into the action. Daniel Gouly’s haunting, glissando clarinet and Amy Price’s melancholy violin can often be seen and heard dancing with the voices of the ensemble (Laurel Dougall, Rebecca Giacopazzi, Shira Kravitz and Ashleigh Schuman). The Gypsy King’s Ramón Ruiz is simply stunning on Spanish guitar, while multi-instrumentalist Ashley Blasse oozes charisma from behind their double bass. Ant Romero, on percussion, ties each strand of the musical styles into solid knots of rhythm.

The musicality is undoubtedly the star of the show. Whether or not the songs enhance the narrative is irrelevant. The songs are pools of splendour we would happily bathe in for hours. Matthew Woodyatt’s rich baritone adds depth and layers of strength onto the female dominated chorus, while Joaquin Pedro Valdes hovers between the two in an androgynous mid-range. Woodyatt is often accompanying the musicians on accordion and also takes over the narrative from Daniel, portraying the wronged husband with a masterful sensitivity. Valdes is the lover that Tirzah conjures from her heart to spend her life trailing through the streets searching for.

Will they ever meet? The story follows a cyclical path that kind of gives us the answer at the start as well as the end. As the twist is revealed to us, we feel like the story might be starting over. Even at two hours long we wouldn’t mind if that was the actual case. Instead, though, we have an upbeat refrain of the opening number. This is, ultimately, a celebration. There are warnings along the way, and we drift through many moods, enhanced by Aaron J Dootson’s ambient lighting, full of ingenious little tricks and innovations.

Tirzah is a woman who lived from one poem to another. A woman sick with love, crazy for love. Who has lost her way for love. Yet in the hands of Ofra Daniel she remains powerful, feminine, erotic and independent. Beneath the ‘crazy poet of love’ outer shell is a vivid embodiment of the human condition that is as old as the bible itself. “A Song of Songs”, describes itself as a musical play rather than a musical (despite boasting nearly twenty musical numbers). Whatever label you want to give it – it is a musical feast.

MARIE CURIE – THE MUSICAL at Charing Cross Theatre

★★★

“The music is the highlight, even though it often feels it belongs to another story.”

MARIE CURIE – THE MUSICAL at Charing Cross Theatre