These Shining Lives

It’s a brave step to decide to perform a Play based on true events that took place in Illinois, USA in the 1930s, but when you are an award winning Amateur Dramatic Society, then take that step. What you need to know is that the story is about four women who painted watch dials with radium, their subsequent ill health and their fight with the company that employed them.

The four central characters of this play needs four strong performers who can not only demonstrate the strengths of the four personalities, but also their vulnerabilities. The lead character, Catherine Donohue, was played by Sarah Farrar who gave us a masterclass in portraying a wife and mother who wanted to support her husband, go out to work, learn a role as a colleague and diligent worker and subsequently subtly displaying the growing illness that was to take her life. Sarah also has the role of narrator throughout the play. This was a strong, entertaining and educating performance, which brought the audience to an emotional ending, whether trying to connect with her fellow workers, supporting the factory boss or enjoying intimate moments with her husband. The rapport that she had with Ankur ‘Aura’ Arora who played Tom Donohue was very evident whether they were arguing or having sweet tender moments, these were so convincingly portrayed. The interaction, the movement, the language, diction and dialogue for these two was totally realistic and brought truly alive these two people.

These two were most definitely not the only fantastic portrayals, Annie McClarnon gave a great performance as the more reserved older Frances O’Connell, Meryl Keeble as the sparky argumentative Charlotte Purcell and Beth Spaul as the friendly jokey Pearl Payne.

These three totally inhabited their characters, showing the individual characters through their dialogue and acting. Not only did they have a good script but they also had their own acting talents which brought their characters alive, all four ladies had a wonderful rapport whether they were sat at their work benches, having a social time together, or supporting each other as their illnesses were revealed. Meryl had a great vocal range, angry, argumentative, devastated, her face showed all these emotions and the subtle way she showed the increasing effect of illness through the growing immobility of her left arm. Annie’s quiet determination to carry on and support her friends through thick and thin and Beth playing Pearl always ready with a joke and cheerful banter.

What I liked with these five actors was the ease with which they performed in the round, very close to the audience, this was opening night and there was no sign of nerves for this closeness. The setting for this play was an enormous watch face painted on the floor which gave them their performance space so they worked within this. Their work benches being wheeled on from the four points of the compass with necessary props were moved on and off seamlessly by the ‘Men in Black’, they sat and talked, worked and moved around as required. A platform that become a double bed or a countryside bench was moved in the same way. They slipped from scene to scene and costume to costume with consummate ease entering and leaving through these four points as required. Changing the setting from the Donohue home to the Radium Dial Company, to a countryside bench, to a court room or a doctor’s waiting room was all extremely smooth and simply done. The bedroom scenes with Catherine and Tom were a delight to watch, excellently and tenderly performed whether as a happy couple or the refuge of a seriously ill mother.

The principals were completed with Jake Hithersay as the factory owner Rufus Reed, a well portrayed unconcerned character just wanting the job well done, and denying there was anything wrong. There were several minor roles all well portrayed, Doctors, reporters, Judge and a nice cameo for Paul Baker portraying Leonard Grossman the Lawyer who took on the company on behalf of the four ladies.

This was a well-designed, directed and slickly performed emotional production. Carefully designed and built furniture and props with costumes that were very appropriate and period as was make-up. Sound was excellent with great projection from the cast, there was a good lighting plot and great use of recorded speech and music. 

We greatly enjoyed the show and congratulate the cast together with Director Eileen Ryan, Producer David Cumming and the crew.

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