Cast and creative team announced for London premiere of new musical LIFELINE
The cast and creative team has been announced for new musical LIFELINE, which makes its highly-anticipated London premiere at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 28 March-2 May.
A new Scottish musical about one moment that changed history, two love stories seventy years apart, infused with nostalgic Scottish folk sounds and foot-stomping rhythms.
Fresh from an acclaimed debut off-Broadway run; a history-making performance as the first musical to ever perform at the United Nations (2024) and two previous sell-out runs at Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2018 and 2022 as The Mould That Changed The World), the 10-strong cast includes Alan Vicary (Girl From the North Country; The Phantom of the Opera, West End) as Alexander Fleming, Maz McGinlay (Hairspray, West End) as Jess Irvine, Nathan Salstone (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Broadway) as Aaron Elliot/Clowes, Kieran Brown (Les Misérables; Love Never Dies, West End) as Merlin Pryce, Helen Logan (Traverse/Tron Theatre, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as Layla Elliot, Robbie Scott (Trainspotting, Phil McIntyre Live) as Julian Kerr, and Kelly Glyptis (The Phantom of The Opera, West End) as Amalia Voureka, with Hannah Visocchi, Jasmine Jules Andrews and Graham Richardson forming the ensemble.
It's 1950 and Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming is at the height of his fame. His discovery of penicillin, the world’s first antibiotic, is being hailed as a miracle cure that will change medicine forever. But his heart is torn as he falls in love with Greek resistance fighter and scientist Amalia Voureka, who must return home. In present-day Edinburgh, junior doctor Jess faces the unthinkable when her estranged childhood sweetheart is rushed to her hospital. Old feelings resurface, traditional cures are put to the test and critical decisions must be made.
LIFELINE is inspired by real historical events, real voices and a real modern day global crisis. Each performance features a different chorus of nurses, doctors, scientists, microbiologists, vets and dentists, appearing alongside the professional cast and a six-piece band, making every night genuinely unique.
Composer and Lyricist Robin Hiley said: “Almost a century since the discovery of penicillin, and 80 years since Sir Alexander Fleming’s Nobel Prize address, his early warnings about antimicrobial resistance have never felt more prophetic. This timely musical is a celebration of the everyday people who make the extraordinary happen - and a heartfelt love letter to the medical community: past, present and future. I hope audiences will be entertained, uplifted and feel connected to these real-world stories and the message it carries that affects us all.”
The creative team also includes set designer Abby Clarke, costume designer Alice McNicholas, choreographer Leanne Pinder, lighting designer Matthew Craigen, and sound designer Paul Smith.
