★★½

“has real ambition and compelling music but the theatrical execution isn’t quite there yet

‘Lifeline’ – the first musical ever staged at the UN – premieres in London with an urgent mission: to spotlight the growing threat of antibiotic resistance and critical need for responsible stewardship. However, the delivery feels a little blunt, leaning on shock tactics and healthcare hero tropes, and at times muddling its own call to action. Still, it offers flashes of real enjoyment.

Resident doctor Jess is thrown off course when her ex, musician Aaron, is rushed in for emergency surgery. As his condition worsens, Sir Alexander Fleming battles his demons as penicillin reshapes the world. Their stories collide under the spectre of antibiotic resistance – and whether Aaron, and countless others, can still be saved.

Becky Hope Palmer’s book would benefit from sharpening its key messages and character arcs. Using dual love stories to humanise the science is strong, but the balance is off: Jess and Aaron’s fraught history resolves too early, while Fleming’s thinner arc stretches on without much development. The dual timelines don’t always flow either, leaving their climactic convergence feeling underpowered. Stronger character shaping would also help moments like Layla’s big scene land with more impact. It also feels unfocused as a piece of social action, raising many issues but ultimately offering healthcare workers as the solution and sidelining the simple actions individuals can take. This perhaps offers more anxiety than hope, and undermines the piece’s intent.

Robin Hiley’s beautifully intricate, Scottish folk inflected music is the show’s great strength – lively rhythms and warm harmonies all delivered with flair by Neil Metcalfe and the six piece band. The military ceilidh is a genuine high point. However, Hiley’s lyrics don’t always land, feeling a little repetitive and clunky at times, with lots of counterpoint that loses detail.

Alex Howarth’s direction shows ambition but doesn’t always bring the characters or relationships into focus. The split screen climax is striking, though Aaron’s arc feels sidelined by then. A few choices jar, such as Fleming’s Act 1 press conference, overwhelmed by sound and light, and the frequent clambering over the set, which feels dynamic but sometimes unnecessary.

Leanne Pinder’s choreography is pitched to suit mixed abilities, but the reliance on sharp, spiky arm movements doesn’t always suit the moment. The larger ceilidh sequences are a real lift, energising the whole stage.

Abby Clarke’s set is striking but busy, filled with grids that don’t seem to carry deeper meaning. Paul Smith’s sound design hasn’t quite found its balance, with a few overpowering moments and some lost lyrics. Alice McNicholas’ costumes are attractive and accurate, though I’m not sure all of Amalia’s changes are necessary within her jumping timelines. Matthew Craigen’s lighting, however, is beautifully judged and consistently lifts key moments.

Nathan Salstone’s Aaron/Clowes is the standout of the night, with nuanced acting, gorgeous vocals, and impressive guitar work. Kelly Glyptis’ Amalia also shines, with a fluid operatic voice, razor sharp comic timing, and a welcome dose of fiery directness. Maz McGinlay’s Jess delivers solid acting and strong vocals throughout, with a knockout top note. Alan Vicary’s Fleming offers assured singing, though the characterisation feels underpowered.

The healthcare professional ensemble brings plenty of spirit and strong vocals, but their acting and movement feels amateur and can be a little distracting. The intention to honour the profession is clear but this could be achieved without compromising performance quality.

‘Lifeline’ has real ambition and compelling music but the theatrical execution isn’t quite there yet. With sharper focus and delivery, it could become the impactful piece of social change theatre it’s reaching for.

THE CROWN JEWELS at the Garrick Theatre

★★★

“survives on the energy of its comedians, and the competence of the rest of the cast”

Expect to be disappointed if you turn up to the Garrick Theatre for an historically accurate show about King Charles II and the theft of the Crown Jewels in 1671. If, on the other hand, you are buying a ticket for Simon Nye’s The Crown Jewels because you know that several of Britain’s leading comedians and stand up artists are in the cast, you will probably enjoy this show. You will then, quite rightly, be expecting an entertaining evening full of ad libs and dangerously outrageous exchanges with the audience. But let me give you some words of advice anyway: gentlemen, don’t sit in the first three rows if you aren’t sporting a well made periwig. And ladies, don’t sit there either if your partner is even slightly prone to fits of jealousy. Don’t expect to be safe from the cast’s attention if you splurged on tickets for a box, either.

The facts surrounding the seventeenth century’s most notorious jewel heist are well known. But if you need a refresher, the programme notes for The Crown Jewels are well written and provide a wealth of background information about the main characters in Nye’s drama. The appropriately named Colonel Thomas Blood apparently hatched a plot to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London in an attempt to recover his Irish estates. Blood lost those as a result of switching sides to support the Parliamentarians under Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War. Hatching plots against the Crown was nothing new to Blood—he’d been involved in several—but stealing the royal regalia was the crowning event of his career, as it were. If only Nye’s play was as well constructed as the programme notes. But The Crown Jewels is a shaky mash up in Horrible Histories, Blackadder—and even Panto—territory, and we’re nowhere near panto season in August. But perhaps it doesn’t matter. The Crown Jewels has been created to provide a rich—seriously rich—backdrop for its comic stars. It’s difficult not to see the rest of the show as just adroitly crafted stage management of a complicated set with lots of changing scenery.

It takes a while to warm to The Crown Jewels, and this is mostly time spent trying to figure out the plot. The characters on stage bear no resemblance whatsoever to the historical figures they are meant to represent. But let’s list them anyway. There’s Al Murray, (of Pub Landlord fame) playing Charles II with a strangled accent, Mel Giedroyc, (Great British Bake Off) doubling as the Keeper of the Crown Jewels’ gap toothed wife and—a brilliant contrast this —a very seductive French Noblewoman; Neil Morrissey (Men Behaving Badly) as Blood’s co-conspirator Captain Perrot; and Joe Thomas (The Inbetweeners) as Blood’s son. Carrie Hope Fletcher is given the opportunity to show off her beautiful singing voice as Elizabeth Edwards. She otherwise has little else to do as the Keeper’s daughter desperately searching for a husband, if only to avoid calling the Tower of London, home. The gifted Aidan McArdle as Colonel Blood has the thankless task of acting the villain, yet manages to make him sympathetic. Adonis Siddique has the even more thankless task of supporting Charles II as a footman.

But the real crown jewel of this production is, of course, Al Murray, doing his recognizable schtick as the Merry Monarch himself. There are lots of inappropriate jokes of all kinds, involving the newly discovered banana, to mention just one routine. McArdle really had my sympathy there. And on this particular evening, Murray set up a lively exchange with a couple of audience members from Australia (still undiscovered in Charles II’s time.) The Dutch also came in for a particular roasting, as the historical Charles was still smarting, in 1671, from a daring naval attack on London. One or two supporters attempted to stand up for the poor Dutch, and were ruthlessly put back in their places. Murray knows how to work his crowd.

The Crown Jewels survives on the energy of its comedians, and the competence of the rest of the cast. The set design by Michael Taylor (who also designed the costumes) is also competent, although not, strictly speaking, historically accurate either. But pretty to look at, nonetheless. Fans of Al Murray will enjoy this show. But it’s not suitable for children, despite its similarity to panto. And The Crown Jewels won’t teach you much about the complicated politics and larger than life characters who really lived during Charles II’s reign. But it’s an enjoyable evening in the West End, nonetheless.

Tag Archives: Kieran Brown

LIFELINE

★★½

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

LIFELINE

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

★★½

“has real ambition and compelling music but the theatrical execution isn’t quite there yet

LIFELINE

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Reviewed on 2nd April 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Charlie Flint

LIFELINE

LIFELINE

LIFELINE

The Crown Jewels

★★★

Garrick Theatre

THE CROWN JEWELS at the Garrick Theatre

★★★

“survives on the energy of its comedians, and the competence of the rest of the cast”