LIFELINE The Musical

In 2024, history was made when LIFELINE became the first musical to perform a number at the United Nations. This statement alone more than justifies this musical’s very existence and yet this piece has so much more going for it, from its beautiful folky music to its ever-important message and beating heart. Starting off as a production for schools to perform, LIFELINE has only grown from there and has now arrived in London playing at Southwark Playhouse Elephant ready for a limited-time run.

LIFELINE follows both the groundbreaking work of Alexander Fleming in the discovery of penicillin and the modern-day effects of antimicrobial resistance. These two tales blend together and excellently reflect not just the incredible developments that have occurred throughout history, but the damning reality of just how much more there is to do. Becky Hope-Palmer’s book does a fantastic job at utilising these two storylines to enhance one another, showing not just the life of Alexander Fleming as a man all-consumed by his work and the heavy responsibility he felt, but also the very real struggles that current medical practitioners face and the burdens they can feel.

Bringing this script to life is a talented cast and crew under the direction of Alex Howarth. As Alexander Fleming and Amalia Vourekas (also an accomplished scientist as well as Fleming’s partner), Alan Vicary and Kelly Glyptis have truly phenomenal chemistry together. The scenes they share have an earnest believability that showcases the difficulty Fleming faces in moving on following his wife’s death, while Amalia is strong-minded in what she needs to do in her life. Additionally, Glyptis gets to show off her incredible vocal performance in a number of songs that highlight her talents. 

In the modern timeline, the standout performances belong to Maz McGinlay and Helen Logan as Jess and Layla, respectively. In the best way possible, McGinlay exudes the tiredness of working as a nurse who is faced with the brutality of feeling helpless. Whether in scenes or when singing, Maz McGinlay provides a powerfully strong centre of the modern storyline. Similarly, Helen Logan portrays a mother with a heart of gold. Her performance gets a chance to shine as the story reaches its heart-breaking beats, where she provides an important ray of sunshine in the darkness with the song “Dry Your Eyes”.

However, these talented actors are not alone on stage. A unique idea that comes with LIFELINE is its chorus. For each week of this show's run, the chorus is composed of a collection of 12 real-life health-care professionals who also perform in the show. You would be remiss to think this is merely a performative selling point, as what it adds is a profound layer of reality to the story being told. Knowing that these very people are living the trials and tribulations depicted on stage makes the experience both joyful and deeply frustrating in equal measure. This is perhaps shown strongest in the number “I’ve Done All That I Can”, where Robbie Scott’s Julian leads the cast in a song that expresses the inequality of bureaucracy that prevents vital work from being done. It is a stark reflection of just how much work needs to be done and how much of it is being held back. Seeing that powerful tableau on stage, flooded by red lighting, made it abundantly clear just how strongly people are feeling about this.