Robert Icke’s The Doctor will transfer to the Duke of York’s Theatre in spring 2020 from the Almeida Theatre, where it enjoyed a sell-out run in summer 2019.

The Doctor is a modern adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s 1912 play Professor Bernhardi, asking questions about ethics and personal convictions in medicine.

Olivier Award-Winner Juliet Stevenson will continue to star as Professor Ruth Wolff, a doctor who suddenly finds herself in the middle of a media storm after she refuses to allow a priest to administer last rights to a young girl dying from a self-administered abortion.

The play keeps the original premise of Professor Bernhardi – apriest being refused entry by a doctor. But by embellishing the details of the story to include a teenager with a self-administered abortion, a secular Jewish doctor and a black priest, Robert Icke’s play tackles a wide range of issues of religion, race, gender and class.

Speaking not only to the issues around medical ethics but wider issues about belief and dogmatism, as well as the media and court of public opinion, this modern re-working of an important play brings it new resonance.

Further casting will be confirmed in due course.

Throughout its West End run, there will be 150 seats per performance of The Doctor which will be available for under £30 to select individuals. These seats will be in the stalls and dress circle, exclusively availalable to under-30s, key workers and those receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance or other government benefits.

The Doctor is recommended for audiences 14+

Content warning:

This play includes the discussion of abortion and suicide, and the description of suicide methods.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this production, you can get free support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year from the Samaritans. Visit samaritans.org or call 116 123 for free.