Juliet Stevenson 'thrilled' to reprise The Doctor role in West End transfer of Almeida production

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Zoe Paskett23 September 2019

Juliet Stevenson is set to reprise her starring role in The Doctor when it transfers to the West End next year.

The Almeida Theatre today announced that the play, currently running at the Almeida until Saturday, will open at the Duke of York’s from April.

Director Robert Icke has “freely adapted” the script from Austrian playwright Arthur Schnitzler’s Professor Bernhardi. Stevenson plays Professor Ruth Wolff, a doctor who refuses to allow a Catholic priest access to a young girl dying from a botched abortion.

She said she is “beyond thrilled” to bring The Doctor to the West End:

“We have been blown away by the extraordinary response it has had at the Almeida. I think the play speaks to our current times with eloquence, complexity, humour and compassion – and I am so delighted it will have a future life and reach new audiences.”

Icke and Stevenson have previously worked together in the Almeida’s productions of Mary Stuart and Hamlet, both of which also transferred to the West End. This is Icke’s final play as associate director of the Almeida.

The Standard gave the show four stars, saying: "Complex ideas, raw emotion and the demanding casting concept coalesce here in a way that is spell-binding."

The production has designs by Hildegard Bechtler, lighting by Natasha Chivers and sound and composition by Tom Gibbons.

The theatre has announced that 150 seats will be available every performance for under £30, with 4,000 seats exclusively for under 30s, key works and those receiving government benefits.

The Doctor will run at the Duke of York’s Theatre from April 20-July 11.

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