Tony and Oscar winner Mark Rylance returns to the West End in Dr. Semmelweis, a new play by Stephen Brown with Rylance, about maverick Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis.
Directed by Tom Morris, the production officially opens July 11 following previews that began June 29 at the Harold Pinter Theatre. The limited engagement continues through October 7.
The cast also features Roseanna Anderson as Marja Seidel/Baroness Maria-Teresa, Zoe Arshamian as Dance Ensemble, Joshua Ben-Tovim as Hospital Porter/Death, Ewan Black as Franz Arneth, Chrissy Brooke as Lisa Elstein, Megumi Eda as Aiko Eda, Suzy Halstead as Violet-May Blackledge, Felix Hayes as Ferdinand von Hebra, Pauline McLynn as Anna Müller, Jude Owusu as Jakob Kolletschka, Oxana Panchenko as Dance Ensemble, Millie Thomas as Agnes Barta, Max Westwell as Hospital Porter/Death, Amanda Wilkin as Maria Semmelweis, Alan Williams as Johann Klein, Daniel York Loh as Karl von Rokitansky, Patricia Zhou as Dance Ensemble, Helen Belbin, Jason Hogan, and Andrew McDonald with the Salomé Quartet: Haim Choi as Suk Hee Apfelbaum (music director/violin 1), Coco Inman as Sarah Schmidt (violin 2), Kasia Zimińska as Eszter Horowitz (viola), and Shizuku Tatsuno as Oshizu Yukimura (cello).
Rylance, who is reprising his work in the title role from the 2022 Bristol Old Vic production, said in an earlier statement, "Here is a person who makes one of the most important discoveries in modern medicine—what we now call ‘Bacteria’—and yet he is pretty much unknown because for 40 years, until Louis Pasteur and Dr. Lister make the same discovery, no one will listen to him. Why?
“I was intrigued. The inspiration to act our story with a chorus of ballet dancers and a quartet representing the many thousands of mothers who perished unnecessarily, makes this a very powerful piece of theatre for me. I am thrilled to be reviving it in London at the Harold Pinter Theatre."
Based on an original idea by Rylance, the production also has set and costume design by Ti Green, lighting design by Richard Howell, choreography by Antonia Franceschi, and music by Adrian Sutton.
Sonia Friedman Productions and the National Theatre present the Bristol Old Vic Production.
Visit DrSemmelweisThePlay.com.
