Opening Friday, Sept. 19, The Black Box Theatre in downtown Moline presents the area premiere of the Lauren Gunderson two-hander “The Half-Life of Marie Curie” — starring Jessica White as Marie Curie and Pam Mautz Cantrell as Hertha Ayrton. This is their first show on The Black Box stage.

The play is directed and designed by Lora Adams (co-founder and artistic director) with light design by Alexander Richardson and sound design by Doug Kutzli. The Black Box has produced other plays of Gunderson’s, including “I and You,” and “The Revolutionists.”

Jessica White, left, and Pam Cantrell in the QC premiere of “The Half-Life of Marie Curie” at Black Box, 1623 5th Ave., Moline.

The story: In 1911, Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery of the elements radium and polonium. By 1912, she was the object of ruthless gossip over an alleged affair with the married Frenchman Paul Langevin, all but erasing her achievements from public memory. Weakened and demoralized by the press lambasting her as a “foreign” Jewish temptress and a homewrecking traitor, Marie agrees to join her friend and colleague Hertha Ayrton, an electromechanical engineer and suffragette, and recover from the scandal at Hertha’s seaside retreat on the British coast.

“The Half-life of Marie Curie” revels in the power of female friendship as it explores the relationship between these two brilliant women, both of whom are mothers, widows, and fearless champions of scientific inquiry, according to a Black Box release.

Jessica White plays Marie Curie, who in 1911 won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

“I love Gunderson’s writing so when I read ‘Half-Life’ I knew it was perfect for The Black Box. It’s not only a wonderful story, but I learned things about her accomplishments other than her Nobel prizes,” Adams said recently. “I think others will love it too.”

“The biggest thing I learned was how instrumental both Marie Curie and Hertha Aryton were in saving lives during World War I,” she added. “They were remarkable women who made a difference and their inventions and innovations saved lives.”

The show will run Sept. 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 21 and 28 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 are available at the door or at theblackboxtheatre.com.

Jessica White plays Marie Curie at thr Black Box Theatre in downtown Moline.

Please leave this field empty

Free Breaking News
Alerts & Daily Digest
In Your Inbox!

Check your inbox to confirm your subscription.

Jonathan Turner

Jonathan Turner -- who has called the Quad Cities home since 1995 -- has decades of experience as a professional journalist and pianist. His experience writing for daily newspapers, public radio and local TV encompasses a wide range of subjects, including the arts, politics, education, economic development, historic preservation, business, and tourism.

Jonathan most loves writing about music and the arts (which he now does as a freelancer for the River Cities Reader and Visit Quad Cities). He has a passion for accompanying musicals, singers, choirs and instrumentalists, including playing for QC Music Guild's 2023 productions of RENT and SWEENEY TODD. He is assistant music director and accompanist for the spring 2025 Music Guild show, ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE. He wrote an original musical based on The Book of Job, which premiered at Playcrafters in 2010. Jonathan penned a 175-page history book about downtown Davenport, that was published by The History Press in 2016, and a travel guide about the QC published by Reedy Press in 2022.