West End to welcome Juliet Stevenson playing in The Doctor next year

Theatres activities in the West End are suspended till 28 June 2020, therefore all performances of The Doctor which transferred to the Duke Of York’s Theatre from the Almeida Theatre, has been suspended till year 2021. Earlier it was decided to run the show this summer which doesn’t seem possible due to the global pandemic.

Juliet Stevenson is playing the lead role of The Doctor which is based on 1912 play Professor Bernhardi written by Austrian writer Arthur Schnitzler and produced by Robert Icke.  The play was an instant success when it was opened at the Almeida Theatre. Further casting of The Doctor will be confirmed and announced in 2021.

The Doctor tells the story of Ruth Woolf who is a physician in a London Hospital and has to choose between her moral duties and her professionalism. The play is written and directed by Robert Icke and lighting design by Natasha Chivers.

Talking about the postponement of the show Juliet Stevenson said:

"Very occasionally in a career, maybe once a decade if you're lucky, you get the chance to perform in a play that speaks so powerfully to its time that it captures everyone's hearts and minds. The Doctor did that last year at the Almeida, and was set to do it again in the West End when Covid-19 brought it crashing to a halt – along with almost everything else.

"Whilst accepting the inevitable, I was pretty gutted – and am missing the production, the wonderful company, the character, and above all the experience of taking the play out there nightly to new and hungry audiences.

"So I am thrilled that we will be back next Spring, and that audiences emerging from their seclusion will have the chance to see it. Rob has written what I think is a great play, in every sense – and as a director he has shaped a piece of theatrical magic. It couldn't be more pertinent in its exploration of the ethical decisions doctors currently face on the front line today, and of much else besides - of things far beyond the realm of the merely newsworthy….

"We will get through this strange and isolating chapter – and then theatre will play a key role in bringing people back together, to share our stories and to celebrate our capacity to roll with the punches and get back up.

"When the lights come back on in London's West End, and in theatres across the UK, I'm hoping that audiences will join us. What a joy it will be to be back on stage and riding The Doctor rollercoaster every night, in dialogue with audiences who'll have so much to bring to it… as soon as it's safe to do so."

Those who want to get a refund of their tickets can contact their ticket providers of The Doctor.