| Lifeline |
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Lifeline, previously The Mold That Changed the World, is a musical produced by Charades Theater Company about Alexander Fleming. Conceived in 2016 by Meghan Perry who pitched it to Robin Hiley, artistic director of Charades Theater Company, The Mold That Changed the World addresses antimicrobial resistance and casts scientists and medical professionals as its chorus. Its has a score by Hiley and book by Thomas Henderson.[1] The musical was first performed at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and follows Fleming, including his involvement in both world wars and his discovery of Penicillin. The piece also briefly depicts a future where antibiotics no longer work.[2][3] The musical was funded by the British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and debuted in the US on October 18, 2022 at the Atlas Center for Performing Arts.[1][4] Afterwards, The Mold That Changed the World underwent restructuring and was retitled as Lifeline. Alongside Fleming's biography, Lifeline follows the story of Jessica (Jess), a doctor in Edinburgh who is fighting an antibiotic resistant hospital-acquired infection, and her boyfriend Aaron, a musician.[5] Lifeline had an off-Broadway run in August and September 2024. Its concept album was released in June of the same year with a story by Becky Hope-Palmer and lyrics and music by Hiley.[6]