Lifeline
Music & Lyrics - Robin Hiley
Book - Becky Hope-Palmer
Charades Theatre Company,
Signature Theatre Off-Broadway, New York
2024
LIFELINE intertwines the story of Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming’s 1928 world-changing discovery of penicillin with the story of Jess, a present-day doctor, whose childhood sweetheart, Aaron, is fighting for his life having developed an an AMR infection after a routine cancer operation. Almost 100 years after the discovery, will Fleming’s miracle cure still work effectively enough to save Aaron’s life?
Uniquely, LIFELINE combines a touring professional West End cast of actors with a chorus of scientists and healthcare professionals auditioned in each city the show tours to. This allows us not only to connect with local communities, but also give a voice to the people who are fighting AMR for us all everyday.
LIFELINE is a two-time Edinburgh Festival Fringe sell-out (2018 and 2022). It ran Off-Broadway for 5-weeks at Signature Theatre on New York’s West 42nd St (Autumn 2024), during which time it became the first ever musical to perform on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly. The show has also toured to the east coast of the USA (2022), Glasgow (2022) and London (2018). It has also been showcased at the UK Houses of Parliament and in Barbados for Prime Minister Mia Mottley.
“Ms. Hope-Palmer successfully recounts the entire arch of this life-changing discovery, from being terribly needed, passing through its successful implementation, and ending on how we made it dangerous, making it the star of the show.”
-Stage and Cinema
Director - Alex Howarth
Musical Director - Neil Metcalfe
Choreography - Wayne Parsons
Design - Alice McNicholas
Projection - Will Monks
LX - Will Monks & Matthew Craigen
Sound - Paul Smith
Photos by Bob Farese, Graham Richardson and Ursa Creatives (Andrew Patino)