Stage: Identity issues

The Doctor
writer-director Robert Icke
with Juliet Stevenson, Naomi Wirthner, Doña Croll, Matilda Tucker, Juliet Garricks, Chris Osikanlu Colquhoun, John Mackay, Preeya Kalidas, Daniel Rabin, Maria Louca, Sabrina Wu
set-costumes Hildegard Bechtler
lighting Natasha Chivers
music-sound Tom Gibbons
drums Hannah Ledwidge
Duke of York's Theatre, London • 29.Sep-11.Dec.22

Loosely based on Arthur Schnitzler's 1912 play Professor Bernhardi, this searing drama by Robert Icke takes on present-day attitudes about identity with so much insight that it can change the way we think. Anchored by a staggeringly committed performance by Juliet Stevenson, it's a bracing production on every level, diving headlong into a swirling brew of gender, race, religion, politics and science. It's also witty and deeply moving, and it challenges the audience in all the best ways.

Founder of an elite hospital, Ruth Wolff (Stevenson) is hugely respected by her team of doctors and nurses. But her imperious approach means that she's not liked. When she refuses to allow a priest (Mackay) to visit a 14-year-old female patient, who is dying after a botched self-administered abortion, the hospital staff is divided in how to respond to the family's complaint. Some think Ruth should stand firm, with the weight of medical ethics on her side. Others want to give into the braying social media mob calling for her dismissal. And Ruth simply can't understand why anyone wants her to apologise for doing the right thing.

Mackay and Stevenson

All of this is twisted around issues of identity, seen by some as a clash between a Jewish doctor and a Catholic family, while others acknowledge a health care professional respecting the privacy of her patient. Or perhaps this is connected to Ruth's gender, or the fact that the priest is Black, or whether or not Ruth shoved him. Discussions escalate into emotive shouting matches, while Ruth retreats to her personal life for respite, thinking about her partner Charlie (Garricks) or a young trans neighbour (Tucker) who escapes from her family to hang out with the more understanding Ruth.

Complementing Icke's incisive writing, everything about this production is fiendishly clever. Casting decisions cross racial and gender lines to force the audience to consider the meaning of each connection and clash. The set and lighting are deceptively simple, transitioning from a hospital hallway to a home kitchen to board room to a televised live debate. And each moment is accompanied by Ledwidge's percussive counterpoints, which skilfully reflect the audience's reaction but never guide it.

Garricks and Stevenson

Performances across the board are riveting, often intensely provocative as the characters challenge each other in often harsh ways. But they also bring out earthy, natural personalities. At the centre, Stevenson has steely, full-bodied magnetism as a sharp-speaking woman who has earned admiration even as she's publicly aloof and demanding. Wirthner has the most intense role opposite her as a colleague fiercely, and blindly, opposed to Ruth's actions. And the way the supporting cast plays multiple roles continually prevents us from putting anyone into a box.

While the first half remains largely story-based, the text digs much deeper into the themes after the interval, finding textures and complexities in each argument. It's so beautifully written that each perspective carries the weight of truth, even when it contradicts another point. So the most salient idea is how the play grapples with the tension between individual and corporate actions. Personal opinions are easier to transcend than those shared by many. But even as individuals, we still carry the weight and responsibilities of each group we belong to, whether or not we agree with them.

Wirthner (right)

Tucker and Stevenson

photos by Manuel Harlan • 9.Oct.22