Play
Dr Semmelweis
A Viennese doctor sees why women are dying in childbirth, but persuading the medical establishment to change may cost him everything.
First Night is a theatre diary for logging the shows you've seen and discovering what to see next.
Productions
Past productions(1)
- Bristol Old Vic · Bristol — 20 January – 19 February 2022
- Harold Pinter Theatre · London — 29 June – 7 October 2023
In 19th-century Vienna, Dr Semmelweis recognises an invisible cause behind the deaths of women in childbirth. To stop it, he must convince colleagues to accept responsibility and change their medical practice. Instead, the establishment questions his methods, motives and sanity, while Semmelweis is haunted by the patients he could not save and becomes increasingly consumed by the fight to be believed.
A historical medical drama built around institutional resistance, scientific argument and the personal toll of trying to force change against an entrenched establishment.
medical history, institutional conflict, scientific breakthroughs and obsessive central figures.
Details
- From 29 Jun 2023
Running time not recorded.
Recent logs
Cast & crew
Creative & crew(2)
- Writer
- Stephen Brown, Mark Rylance
We only have a few credits for this production.
