Review: LIFELINE at Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Stuart King 3 April, 2026, 13:21

While on tour, a singer falls victim to a superbug which is resistant to antibiotics and returns home to Scotland for hospital treatment where his childhood sweetheart is a paediatric specialist. Flashbacks to Alexander Fleming’s lab where he discovered penicillin at St Mary’s Hospital London in 1928 and years later, where with the help of his research assistant (and burgeoning romantic interest) he realises that microbial resistance is already becoming widespread, posing an existential threat to humanity.

Alan Vicary in LIFELINE. Photo by Charlie Flint.

With music and lyrics by Robin Hiley and a book by Becky Hope-Palmer, LIFELINE has a hard-hitting message to deliver and has already been performed elsewhere, notably for delegates at the UN. In fact, given that the piece is crammed to the gills with good intentions (and an assortment of willing medical professionals who join the core cast of 10 professional performers on stage each evening), it seems almost churlish to take issue with key aspects of the musical, but such is the remit of a reviewer.

Staged at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant, the show is directed by Alex Howarth on a set by Abby Clarke which makes a feature of the width and lack of depth inherent in the venue’s playing area, by building upwards — notably to house the 7-piece band under the musical direction of Neil Metcalfe who perform above and either side of the main stage. Their close proximity and over-amplification in such an intimate venue, poses something of a threat to eardrums but there is no doubting the musicians’ playing ability. Unfortunately, it is not matched by the technicality of the writing which they are required to perform. Both the music and particularly the lyrics, possess a naive amateurism which is sometimes difficult to overlook.

As Fleming, Alan Vicary is every inch the staid and awkward academic we have come to expect. His interactions with the younger, more flamboyant Greek scientist Amalia Voureka played by Kelly Glyptis are irritatingly stilted until he finally plucks up the courage to ask her (in Greek) to become his second wife. Elsewhere, the superbug suffering singer Aaron played and beautifully sung by a dynamic Nathan Salstone also doubles-up as a boisterous Scots squaddie serving on the Western Front with Fleming during the First World War. Back to present day, and Aaron’s mother Layla (Helen Logan) and former partner Jess (Maz McGinlay -- who brings a yearning vocal lyricism to her songs) have plenty of material with which to reflect on loss and grief. As an antidote, Fleming’s friend and fellow research colleague, Welshman Merlin Pryce (Keiran Brown) is played with flippant gusto, seemingly determined to lift the atmosphere and spirits of those watching, but at times the effort slips into crowd-pleasing parody.

Primarily a history lesson paired with a salutary modern fable warning on the dangers of over-prescribing and incorrect use of antibiotics, LIFELINE ticks a lot of boxes. The rousing finale where medical personnel drawn from an array of associated disciplines and walks of life return to the stage on which they have just performed in a number of supporting scenes, adds considerably to one’s positive feelings about the enterprise. Their commitment to the production and our wider wellbeing, deserves considerable praise even if the show itself could benefit from a less didactic approach and an overhaul of the lyrics. The story of The Man Behind the Mould is more than merely commendable, but I just wish that I had enjoyed it as an entertaining and informative piece of theatre, more than I actually did.

LIFELINE continues at Southwark Playhouse Elephant until 2nd May and runs 2hours and 20 mins including interval.