Mark Rylance and more discuss Dr Semmelweis on opening night

Following the official opening night for the West End transfer of Dr Semmelweis, we caught up with leading man and co-writer Mark Rylance alongside a number of his cast mates and choreographer Antonia Franceschi.

Directed by Tom Morris, the play tells the story of Ignaz Semmelweis, a pioneering Hungarian doctor who is determined to uncover the cause of the high mortality rate among women during childbirth.

Find out what they had to say about the piece’s importance in the video below:

The hit play, with Rylance’s work being described by WhatsOnStage’s Sarah Crompton as an “extraordinarily subtle and emotional performance”, was originally developed by the National Theatre Studio and first staged by Bristol Old Vic.

In addition to Rylance, the production features an ensemble cast that includes Roseanna Anderson (Marja Seidel/Baroness Maria-Teresa), Zoe Arshamian (Dance Ensemble), Joshua Ben-Tovim (Hospital Porter/Death), Ewan Black (Franz Arneth), Chrissy Brooke (Lisa Elstein), Megumi Eda (Aiko Eda), Suzy Halstead (Violet-May Blackledge), Felix Hayes (Ferdinand von Hebra), Pauline McLynn (Anna Müller), Jude Owusu (Jakob Kolletschka), Oxana Panchenko (Dance Ensemble), Millie Thomas (Agnes Barta), Max Westwell (Hospital Porter/Death), Amanda Wilkin (Maria Semmelweis), Alan Williams (Johann Klein), Daniel York Loh (Karl von Rokitansky) and Patricia Zhou (Dance Ensemble), alongside Helen Belbin, Jason Hogan and Andrew McDonald.

The Salomé Quartet is comprised of Haim Choi as Suk Hee Apfelbaum (Music Director/ Violin 1), Coco Inman as Sarah Schmidt (Violin 2), Kasia Zimińska as Eszter Horowitz (Viola) and Shizuku Tatsuno as Oshizu Yukimura (Cello).

The production features live music composed by Adrian Sutton and original choreography by Franceschi, known for her work with Balanchine’s New York City Ballet. It has set and costume design by Ti Green and lighting design by Richard Howell.

Dr Semmelweis runs until 7 October 2023 at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre, with tickets on sale below.