Dr. Semmelweis (West End) London Reviews and Tickets

86%

(137 Ratings)

Positive

93%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Absorbing, Great acting, Clever, Intelligent, Entertaining

About the Show

Mark Rylance stars in this drama about the life of an early pioneer of antiseptic medicine.

Troubled by the death toll of childbed fever in 19th-century Vienna, the maverick Doctor Semmelweis makes a discovery that could save hundreds of thousands of new mothers. But when the medical establishment questions his methods & his sanity, he finds that simply being a pioneer isn't enough.

Years later, he is haunted by the ghosts of the women he failed to save and wonders if it is too late to convince the medical establishment that he might hold the key to saving an untold number of lives.

'Dr. Semmelweis' is based on an original idea by Mark Rylance (Jerusalem), developed with writer Stephen Brown and director Tom Morris (War Horse). The show transfers to the West End after its world premiere at the Bristol Old Vic in early 2022.

Show-Score Member Reviews (92)

100

Delightful, Enchanting, Clever, Absorbing, Ambitious

See it if you like excellent acting

Don't see it if you get confused easily

100

Intense, Great staging, Great acting, Absorbing, Ambitious

See it if You are up for a compelling drama about a medical pioneer condemned by ignorance and his personality flaws.

Don't see it if Death in childbirth gives you the willies and swearing upsets you. Read more

Resonant, Intelligent, Great staging, Great acting, Enchanting

See it if If you like a masterful play with excellent staging and acting

Don't see it if You want something light. This play deals with heavy, sensitive issues Read more

Dramatic, Intense, Intelligent, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if Captivating plot from the first minute. Great acting (Mark Rylane is superb) and interesting staging. Intense and gripping.

Don't see it if You want something light hearted.

Rylance is spectacular

See it if u like watching a mystery unravel before u even when u know who dun it before it begins. Rylance makes Semmelweiss human; u see his thoughts

Don't see it if u can't understand how a brilliant mind can also be emotionally stunted.

Moving, Passionate, Creative, Thought-provoking, Absorbing

See it if you love a historical political play based around a central character; care about improving public health and maternity/neo-natal care

Don't see it if you have had a difficult birth experience or lost a child - proceed with caution; or you find scenes of mental distress disturbing

Resonant, Refreshing, Intense, Relevant, Absorbing

See it if You want to be moved. I have always thought contemporary dance as high brow Olympic floor exercise but this got even my noob self invested.

Don't see it if You despite my above words can't stand moments of physical theatre. How about the legend Mark Rylance swaying around sound; sold?

Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Intelligent, Great staging, Exquisite

See it if you like theatre that merges different forms of performing arts, great acting and a story line that gives you time to reflect

Don't see it if you get easily frustrated with mankind's stupidity and obstinance Read more

Critic Reviews (11)

“The ending is rushed and clumsy but it doesn’t matter. One of our finest, alchemically instinctive actors is back where he belongs: onstage.”
Read more

"Mark Rylance is astonishing – again – in this unsettling, atmospheric drama about the downfall of a pioneering doctor"
Read more

"Playing a maverick doctor who discovers a ground-breaking cure, the star embodies crusading eccentricity – and dangerous monomania... [this play places] resonant emphasis on the dangers of group-think and the way medical hierarchies can crush whistleblowers. "
Read more

“He [Rylance] makes Semmelweis hard to like. But he also lets you see inside his head, showing the thrill of being part of a new way of thinking, indicating the panic as he half realises his mind is becoming disturbed. It’s an extraordinarily subtle and emotional performance.”
Read more

“This stirring tragedy gives a voice to the voiceless: not just the unfairly treated Semmelweis, but the women whose pain was ignored, and whose deaths were dismissed as routine.”
Read more

"Mark Rylance gives a fascinating, febrile performance in this unwieldy but absorbing historical drama."
Read more

“There is humour here as well as physical theatre, music, anger, sadness, emotional nuance.”
Read more

Dr Semmelweis is utterly fascinating in every respect, especially as it unearths such a vital piece of forgotten, or ignored, history. As a pioneer of medicine, Mark Rylance leads an impressive cast in this gripping historical drama.
Read more

Trailer

Creative team