Review: DR SEMMELWEIS, Harold Pinter Theatre
Photo credit: Simon Annand
“Someone has to be the first to see something” but everyone should see this play. Dr Semmelweis is the true story of a radical who pioneered research into the invisible killer we now know as bacteria. This compelling play garnered rave reviews at the Bristol Old Vic and has now transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End.
Mark Rylance, who also wrote the play with Stephen Brown, stars as the maverick Hungarian Doctor Ignaz Semmelweis. The play opens in 1860s Pest and the story is told through flashbacks to 1847, 20 years before when Semmelweis made and was dismissed for his discovery. While working as an obstetric doctor at the Vienna General Hospital, Semmelweis discovered that ‘childbed fever’, which was killing large numbers of mothers and babies, could be drastically reduced if doctors washed their hands in disinfecting water. As he attempted to convince the greatest doctors of the 19th Century, his methods, motives and sanity were questioned by the establishment and ultimately cost him his life.
Dr Semmelweis has everything: live music, dance, comedy, tragedy and of course, Mark Rylance. He is known as a theatre great for a reason and his performance as Dr Semmelweis does nothing to dent his reputation. The play is a perfect vehicle for him to once again demonstrate the range of his magnetic talents; this time as one of the pioneers of medical history. He truly embodies the weight of greatness, an isolated figure on a stage filled with actors and action. However the play would not be destined for such success without the excellent ensemble cast and the exceptional direction of Tom Morris.
There is an urgency and intensity to the story which both the cast and the audience are undoubtably invested in. Standouts include Pauline McLynn as Nurse Anne Mueller and Jude Owusu as Jakob Kolletschka, both whom are equally heartbreaking and hilarious, in what could be an incredibly sombre affair. Amanda Wilkin should also be applauded for her stamina and sensitivity as narrator and Semmelweis’ longsuffering wife Maria. At the opening of the play in a joyful game of chess, we see a glimpse of their relationship before it is absorbed by the women of the maternity ward.
Semmelweis is haunted by a ghostly chorus of dancers playing the mothers he has lost. Antonia Franceschi’s choreography creates the energy of the piece as it switches from gentle to jarring. The dancers hardly leave the stage which mirrors how they linger in Semmelweis’ mind. Ti Green’s dark set is on two levels and includes a revolve. The dancers and set are intertwined with the story as they appear from the darkness in a fever dreamlike state. The cast are also joined on stage by the Salome quartet. As they weave through the actors playing Adrian Sutton’s beautiful and disturbing score, they could be a distraction but instead add to the intensity of the performance.
The madness of genius can be a blessing and a curse. For Dr Semmelweis, it led to a tragic and tortured end but his story is now being told and getting the respect a man who saved the lives of millions of women and babies always deserved. This riveting and revolutionary play is one not to miss!
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Sophie Luck
Dr Semmelweis plays at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre until 7 October, with tickets available here.