UK musical theatre 2024: "Lifeline" (formerly "“The Mould That Changed the World")
Previously entitled The Mould that Changed the World, the musical has toured to London, Glasgow, Atlanta, Washington DC, and most recently, alongside the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance in New York, September 2024… there’s a new Alexander off-Broadway!
Lifeline tells the story of Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming’s world-changing discovery of penicillin in 1928, charting the rise and fall of antibiotics. Fleming’s historic story is interwoven with Jess’, a present day doctor whose childhood sweetheart, Aaron, is recovering from cancer treatment, almost 100 years after antibiotics were discovered. But just as Aaron is desperate to resume normality and rekindle the romance, his life hangs in the balance, as he waits to see if Fleming’s miracle cure will still work well enough to save him.
https://www.lifelinemusical.com/
The Lifeline concept album features members of the original cast as well as friends from Broadway.
The Lifeline Project podcast explores the science and the process behind the musical.
2024 Scientific American article: "Penicillin Musical Plays at U.N. Meeting on Antibiotic Resistance"
Previous incarnation:
The Mold That Changed the World
https://www.mouldthatchangedtheworld.com/
Video, photos and audio:
https://www.mouldthatchangedtheworld.com/media/
New York Times review: "In a Musical About Penicillin, Superbugs Take Center Stage"
Emory University article: "Seriously, it’s a musical about penicillin and antimicrobial resistance"
University of Edinburgh article: "New musical theatre show to spread message about antimicrobial resistance in schools"
"Performing a musical is a truly interactive experience that will immerse a child in the evocative story of antibiotics and have a profound effect on their knowledge and understanding of the subject. A child’s involvement in a musical impacts the entire school community and three generations; their siblings, parents and grandparents....
"...a web-based resource will allow greater than 15,000 primary schools across the UK to develop and host the musical at no additional cost to the individual school."