Marissa Jaret Winokur to Direct The Radium Girls World Premiere in London
Marissa Jaret Winokur will direct the world premiere of The Radium Girls in London.
The horror-laced musical comedy will play at Southwark Playhouse Borough from 20 March to 8 May 2027. Its press night, the performance put on for reviewers, is set for 30 March. WhatsOnStage
A world premiere means this is the first full staging anywhere. The story follows teenager Olive and her friends. They paint glowing watch dials at the United States Radium Corporation in New Jersey.
The show is inspired by the real experiences of women factory workers in the 1920s. It mixes comedy with horror. Expect laughs and chills in the same night.
Music and book are by Amanda D'Archangelis. Lyrics and book are by Sami Horneff and Lisa Mongillo.
Winokur is best known on stage as Broadway's original Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray. She is a Tony Award winner. She now leads the production from the director's chair.
The London creative team includes associate director Chadd McMillan and choreographer Rebecca Reaney. Jonathan Bauerfeld is orchestrator, shaping how the score will sound for live musicians. Harry Blumenau is casting director. Casting is yet to be announced.
The producer is High Octave Productions. Its founder and chief executive is Wendy Morgan-Hunter.
Winokur knows the show well. She directed its New York premiere presentation and readings. Two invite-only industry readings were held in New York on 30 October 2023, billed then as The Radium Girls: A Jaw-Dropping New Musical. BroadwayWorld
Development continued with a 29-hour reading directed by Winokur. Emma Hunton was among the cast announced for that reading in August 2026.
What makes this stand out is the combination. A little-known piece of industrial history. A comedy built around it. And a Broadway musical star calling the shots.
