Review: LIFELINE, Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Lifeline is the kind of play that feels as though it was composed with the help of a mindmap with one word circled in the centre, around which all parts of the drama must orbit. In this case, that word – or phrase, in fact – was ‘antibiotic resistance’.

First performed at the UN General Assembly in 2024, this musical clearly sees itself on some level as a piece of didactic theatre – the ensemble is mostly made up of real healthcare professionals working in London, who address the audience about their research at the end.

This laudable goal, unfortunately, is supported by rather a weak pair of parallel storylines. In the early 1950s, 20 years after his famous accidental discovery of penicillin, Alexander Fleming (an avuncular Alan Vicary) is promoting responsible use of antibiotics, though the exact nature of his work is kept nebulous. Instead, the focus is on his struggles with survivor’s guilt from the First World War and a burgeoning romance with the Greek scientist Amalia Voureka (Kelly Glyptis).

In the present day, meanwhile, young musician Aaron (Nathan Salstone) has returned home from touring following a cancer diagnosis, only to reunite with his estranged ex-girlfriend Jess (Maz McGinlay), a junior doctor. Writer Becky Hope-Palmer seems to imagine that there will be much opportunity for clever moments where these two timelines intersect, but the reality is that these slices of life do not have much in common beyond the broad themes of ‘grief’, ‘medicine’ and ‘healthcare’.

While Fleming’s demons are intimately tied to his work as a scientist, the connection between Aaron and Jess feels generic and incidental to their experiences as patient and doctor. The idea of having Aaron played by the same actor as Fleming’s colleague who died in the war could help bridge the gap between the time periods, but without either of these characters receiving sufficient emotional depth, it feels like a cheap staging device.

When Hope-Palmer’s writing does touch tenderly upon grief, it is too often interrupted by diatribes reminding us that all this tragedy has been caused by humans developing resistance to antibiotics through unclean water or contaminated food. The modern-day plotline especially has the uncomfortable feel of simply being an exemplar of how increased resistance to drugs can cost lives, rather than a fully developed love story – we learn little about Jess and Aaron beyond their jobs and Aaron’s illness.

The music, by composer-lyricist Robin Hiley, is a saving grace. In celebration of Fleming’s Scottish roots, the songs performed in the 1950s timeline have strong folk influences, including a bagpipe cameo during a rousing ceilidh scene and some haunting ballads reminiscing on Fleming’s wartime service. The soundtrack to Aaron and Jess’ storyline owes more to arena-friendly singer-songwriter pop, but still maintains the folk tradition of specificity in storytelling, and is performed with warmth and subtlety by the young cast.

Lifeline’s purpose may be honourable, but the lofty aim of educating the public on drug resistance can overwhelm the storytelling. There is space for a folk musical exploring the life of Alexander Fleming, or a tender musical fable about love, loss and working in the NHS, but combining these two leads to an awkward, overlong show with its shortcomings laid bare.

Lifeline plays at Southwark Playhouse Elephant until 2 May