Mark Rylance does nothing without conviction and his acting as Dr Semmelweis is something I urge you to see.  His Dr Semmelweis is with us – the audience – and himself and the other characters.   It is wonderful and painful at the same time to be a close witness to a story that unfolds like a Greek tragedy.
First produced and performed at The Bristol Old Vic, the set and costumes by Ti Green put us in the maternity hospitals of 1865 in Vienna.   The desperate sadness when so many new mothers die of Puerperal, or childbed fever is palpable.  There is a particularly good performance by Helen Belbin as the Midwife Caroline Flint, who’s vocal skills are good.  Dr Semmelweis discovers that a rigorous hygiene routine involving the washing of hands in a chlorine solution prevents germs being transferred to new mothers, from cadavers being used to practice dissection.  
It all seems such common sense now – but the fear of COVID and the terrible pressures involved evoked a similar reaction.  Covid germs were also spread by unwashed hands.
The music by Adrian Sutton and the choreography by Antonia Francheschi orchestrate and illustrate this tragedy of Dr Semmelweis as he descends into a frenzy of frustration becoming more and more mentally strained, by the rejection of his findings,  The production is so encompassing and demanding that the company’s performance skills flourish.  Mark Rylance is a master of his art, and his vocal skills are such that he can appear to be rambling in speech, but you’ll still hear every word at the back of the Upper Circle.  There is one actor who needs the Glenda Jackson ‘speak up’ advice, but it may have been just for this performance.