The Doctor's Dilemma

Written by George Bernard Shaw
Directed by Chris Holmes
Presented by the Tower Theatre Company

Harley Street doctor Sir Colenso Ridgeon has developed a revolutionary tuberculosis treatment, but it remains experimental and he has resources for only ten patients.

The arrival of the striking and persuasive Jennifer Dubedat in his consulting rooms, desperate to save the life of her brilliant artist husband, nevertheless prompts Ridgeon to invite the young couple to a dinner where he and his colleagues may assess the merits of the case.

Beguiled by the charismatic Dubedat and his lovely wife, they concur that his is a life worth saving, even at the expense of another. Yet no sooner are the medics congratulating themselves in their decision, than they discover that Dubedat is an amoral scoundrel. Meanwhile, their impoverished colleague Blenkinsop, the most worthy but least distinguished of the lot, reveals himself to be in dire need of treatment for the same disease. Whose life should he save ...

Featuring an array of larger than life medics, hilarious in their absurdity, who make a rich living peddling quack remedies to a credulous public, Shaw's 1906 play brilliantly satirises the private medical profession of his day. A plea for a publicly funded health service 40 years before the NHS was established, at a time of creeping privatisation his play has acquired a disturbing contemporary relevance.