Dr Semmelweis Tickets

An Incredible True Story With Dr Semmelweis Tickets

What use is a discovery if no one believes in it? Dr Semmelweis, starring Academy Award winner Mark Rylance, is a startling and moving new play in the West End with a haunting story about one doctor who fought against the establishment. Catch it at the Harold Pinter Theatre during its strictly limited season for a masterclass performance from Rylance, and a dazzling production that brings the failures and triumphs of history into the present.

What is the Dr Semmelweis play about?

In 19th-century Vienna, thousands of women are dying during childbirth every year. A city famous for its artistic and scientific spirit cannot find a treatment, but Dr Semmelweis has made a discovery. Damned and dismissed by his contemporaries as a mad maverick, Semmelweis is haunted by the women he couldn’t save. What sacrifices must he make to ensure this invisible killer is stopped?

The true story of Ignaz Semmelweis is superbly adapted for the stage in a production that shines a light on a maligned and mistreated pioneer, who died in an asylum but saved many more with his work. Critics praised Dr Semmelweis for its “riveting” (The Guardian) storytelling that is “a tragedy of almost Shakespearean proportions”.

Mark Rylance in Dr Semmelweis

Oscar and Olivier Award winner Mark Rylance stars as the pioneering but misunderstood surgeon who rallied to revolutionise medical practices. He is joined by a talented cast, including a company of dancers who represent the mothers who Semmelweis is haunted by.

Rylance is one of the best British actors working today, with a list of credits including Jerusalem, Farinelli and the King and Nice Fish. On screen, he rocketed to new levels of acclaim in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies and has since appeared in Ready Player One, The BFG and Dunkirk.

Rylance not only stars in Dr Semmelweis, he was involved in the production from its very beginning. Rylance’s original idea was developed in collaboration with writer Stephen Brown and director Tom Morris (War Horse), and enjoyed an acclaimed world premiere at Bristol Old Vic in 2022.

Tickets for Dr Semmelweis at the Harold Pinter Theatre Available Now

Book for Dr Semmelweis as soon as possible to discover a compelling slice of history, performed by one of our greatest living stage actors.