Review: RADIUM GIRLS at TAFE: Theatre Arts For Everyone

TAFE: Theatre Arts for Everyone presents the historically-based play, Radium Girls, from April 25th-27th under the direction of Crystal Ganong.  Inspired by true events, Radium Girls is an award winning play written by D.W. Gregory in 2000.  The story is set in Orange, New Jersey and spans the years from 1918 to 1926.  Even 100 years later, the story of the Radium girls still resonates today.

We meet Grace (Maddie Buckley), Kathryn (Sofia DiMercurio) and Irene (Gelisse Seidel) painting the dials on watches with radium.  The teenagers are filled with laughter, youth, and hopes for their future.  We follow the girls as they discover the effect from radium poisoning and fight for their day in court against their former employer.  Their courage paved the way for the rights of workers and occupational safety still in effect today.

The cast includes Maddie Buckley, Jason Collison, Sofia DiMercurio, Matthew Ganong, Jess Haag, Quinton Laughman, Karly Mohr, Joel Perez, Vicki Schneider, Gelisse Seidel, Theresa Strange, Michaela Wagner, and Rebecca Windstrom.  Maddie Buckley, Sofia DiMercurio, and Gelisse Seidel gave strong performances the girls as they slowly succumbed to their illnesses.  Jess Haag’s emotional performance as Grace’s mother was even more impressive as she quickly switched to side characters for a bit of comedic relief.