ROCHESTER — In 1926, radium was considered a miracle cure until the girls who painted with it began to fall ill with a mysterious disease.

“Radium Girls” is a drama based on the true story of female laborers who were poisoned and killed by their factory’s radium-based paint. It traces the efforts of Grace Fryer, a luminous watch dial painter, as she fights for her day in court.

As the case goes on, Grace finds herself battling not just with the U.S. Radium Corporation, but with her own family and friends, who fear that her campaign for justice will backfire.

As a result of the Radium Girls efforts, industrial safety standards were demonstrably enhanced for many decades.

Called a “powerful” and “engrossing” drama by critics, “Radium Girls” offers a wry, unflinching look at the American obsessions with health, wealth, and the commercialization of science.

If You Go

What: “Radium Girls”

When: 7:30 p.m. Jan.21-22, Jan. 27-29; 2 p.m. Jan. 23, 30

Where: Rochester Repertory Theatre, 103 Seventh St. NE, Rochester

Cost: $19-23, www.rochesterrep.org/tickets-2/ or call 507-289-1737