Interview: Actor Alan Williams on world premiere of DR SEMMELWEIS at Bristol Old Vic

Ahead of its opening night at Bristol Old Vic this evening (which we are thrilled to be attending!), we spoke to actor Alan Williams about his performance as Johann Klein in the world première of Dr Semmelweis by Stephen Brown, based on an original idea by Mark Rylance.

Tell us about Dr Semmelweis.

Doctor Semmelweis was a doctor in nineteenth century Vienna who realised that health care could be improved massively if doctors and nurses only washed their hands before treating patients. Obvious as that may seem to us now, his contemporaries thought he was absolutely nuts. Since his death, he’s become a kind of symbol of the way a simple, effective, realistic solution to a problem can be resisted to an absurd extent by those who have just been thinking in a different way for a long time.

Is it exciting to be part of a world premiere following such a difficult time for our industry?

Incredibly so ... Even as we’ve been rehearsing it’s seemed at times as though we might have to retreat again and bide our time before we could all get together. That’s had the effect of making us feel grateful for each day we can get together. At the end of one long day’s rehearsal, Tom Morris, our director, said, “Look, we can go through that bit again, but I can see that everyone’s very tired. So it’s up to you ... we can do another run through or come back tomorrow fresh.” Someone said, “Well we don’t even know whether we’ll all be able to be here tomorrow, so let’s keep doing it while we can.”

The play is based on an original idea by Mark Rylance whom you also star alongside in the piece. How is it working with Rylance and how have rehearsals been going so far?

Mark’s a great actor. He’s got all kinds of skills that you can marvel at. And he’s also got all kinds of skill that you can’t even name! I can watch him in rehearsals and think, “Bloody hell, it’s good how he did that,” and then the next moment I can think, “And I don’t even have a clue how he did that? What did he just do there that was so wonderful?” It is not possible, alas, to pick up his formidable skills just by standing near him. But his love of theatre is infectious. To an incredible degree, he has a sense about him that to be able to transmute the ignominies and tragedies and glories of life into theatre is just the most wonderful thing; it makes life liveable. I didn’t realise that I’d forgotten that theatre is such a wonderful thing. But every day I’m around Mark, I remember it fresh.

Tell us about your character, Johann Klein.

Johann Klein was the head of Doctor Semmelweis’ department at the Vienna General Hospital. Being more interested in raising money for the hospital and currying favour with the government, he had lost his love of science and medicine, and opposed Semmelweis’ ideas.

The play tackles some hard hitting themes. How do you approach such material as an actor?

All plays, even the so-called “lightest of comedies”, expose the vulnerability of human beings, because just to see someone on stage is to realise that we don’t really know what we are doing - we’re doing our best.

How is it performing in a piece based on fact as opposed to fiction?

Semmelweis’ career came at such a richly interesting time in European history that it’s almost as if there’s another enormous play waiting to be written down every alleyway. Vienna, at the time, was such a volatile mix of old values and new passions. One of the themes that is gloriously touched upon in the play is the birth of ballet.

Bristol Old Vic is such an iconic venue to perform in. Does it lend itself well to the stage debut of Dr Semmelweis?

The Bristol Old Vic is such an exquisite theatre that it would enhance the stage debut of a reading of the Yellow Pages! More I would say that it’s a testament to this play that it’s eminently worthy of such a venue. Just as in Vienna in the 1840s, the old and the new slam together and make something quite wonderful.

How would you encourage audiences to come and see your show?

I haven’t even mentioned the string quartet that’s live on stage. I’ve only just glancingly mentioned the dancers. There is such a lot on offer here. Just to be around people who have such passion for what they do is a joy. I’d tell people to come and see the show because they might feel like they’re being hit by all the love they didn’t get in 2020.

Dr Semmelweis runs at Bristol Old Vic until 12 February. For more information and to book tickets, please click here.