Review: RADIUM GIRLS at Cabot High School Glows With Historic Storytelling

After scoring "Excellent" in One Acts at regional competition, Cabot High School, 404 N. Second St., Cabot, tackled a serious bit of history this weekend, Dec. 3-5, to a sold-out crowd with RADIUM GIRLS, written by D.W. Gregory. Directed by Courtney Shepard and assisted by Ryan Davenport and Melani Morgan Blansett, the cast and crew gave a moving performance that merited a tear or two.

Set in the 1920s, RADIUM GIRLS is based on the women who were poisoned with radium while working in a factory, painting clock dials with radium-laced paint. Our heroine Grace (Alix Brown) takes on U.S. Radium Corporation, blaming the company for killing her coworkers by making them ingest the paint. Roeder (Benjamin Cluck), head of the company, tries to protect US Radium Corp. saying that he had stockholders to keep happy. Through the court system and newspaper articles, this fight took several years, but ultimately ends in the women's interest, even though some of the women died before receiving the awarded funds. These cases were considered significant in the development of occupational safety and health standards.

This is a powerful piece of historic storytelling, and the Cabot team "glowed" with talent. Brown was poised, yet vulnerable as she went from a healthy worker to a dying victim fighting, not just for her, but for the bigger picture. Cluck was charismatic and gave a believable performance of a guy just trying to save his company. Other notable performances include Makayla Collum, who was acknowledged for her character development at competition, gave a sympathetic performance as Kathryn, as her physical and emotional decline was evident throughout the play; Jackson Osborn as Tom was endearing as he tried to save his relationship with Grace; Emma Bertram as Mrs. Fryer was obviously annoyed at her daughter for giving up the money; And you couldn't help but root for the female reporter, played by Madelyn Stiles, as she tried to get her exclusive for her newspaper. These actors and the remainder of the cast and crew did an outstanding job. Shout out goes to the lighting staff who made the girls glow green without them having to use body paint.

To finish out the school year, Cabot High School will present MATILDA. For more updates, check out their Instagram feed.

CAST LIST

Grace-Alix Brown

Roeder-Benjamin Cluck

Kathryn-Makayla Collum

Irene-Callie Moore

Tom/Voiceovers-Jackson Osborn

Harriet-Abigail Lane

Wiley-Jessie Freeman

Von Sochocky/Lovesick Cowboy-Carter Kirby

Mrs. Roeder-Beyla Eason

Mrs. MacNeil-Georgia Cates

Mrs. Fryer-Emma Bertram

Berry/Flinn-Collin Crain

Reporter-Robert Valbracht

Photographer-Genna Cates

Lehman-Tori Clark

Store Owner-Amber Alsup

Sob Sister-Madelyn Stiles

Markley/Lee-Mark Ledbetter

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