The Doctor
- 2 Hours and 45 Minutes
- Duke of York's Theatre
- 4.8/5 based on 10 reviews
The Doctor photos
- Booking details
- Booking until: Sunday,11 December 2022
- Running time: 2 Hours and 45 Minutes
- Age restrictions
- Important information - Please read
The Doctor description
About The Doctor
Robert Icke is an extraordinary English writer and theatre director, and this is the dazzling West End transfer of his sell-out play. He ended a fabulous six year run at the Almeida theatre with a 'savagely brilliant' version of this, a play originally written in the late 1800s and translated from the original German. First produced in 1912, The Doctor was controversial even then. It is just as shocking now.
What's the story of The Doctor?
A young woman is dying from blood poisoning after an abortion has gone wrong. A Jewish doctor watches, refusing to allow a priest to sit by the dying woman's bedside. The doctor wants her patient to die in peace, unaware of her own death. The priest wants to give her the last rites and absolve her of mortal sin. The differences between science and religion, and the contrasts between different ways of caring, have never been more stark. In the original play the Doctor is a man, in Icke's version she's female, and that brings even more tension to the mix, enhanced by dollops of anti-semitism, gender politics and identity politics. White actors play black characters as well, and women play men, all to absolutely spectacular effect. If you want your thoughts well and truly provoked, see this genuinely breathtaking intellectual tour de force. Upsetting but worth it.
Who is starring in The Doctor?
Juliet Stevenson stars, a national treasure loved for her roles on stage and screen. Truly, Madly, Deeply made her reputation, for which she was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She is a regular at the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre and has played Olivier-nominated roles in three productions. Portraying Paulina in Death and the Maiden won her the 1992 Olivier for Best Actress. A fifth Olivier nomination came her way for 2009's Duet for One. Juliet has won three nominations for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress and this play is set to cement an already rock solid reputation.
What are people saying about The Doctor?
- Evening Standard - “One of the performances of the year.”
- The Guardian - “Juliet Stevenson delivers one of the peak theatrical performances of the year in Icke’s striking reimagining of Schnitzler.”
- The Independent - “Juliet Stevenson is magnificent in provocative, wonderfully upsetting production.”
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