We sat down for an exclusive interview with Maz McGinlay who plays Dr Jess Irvine in this captivating and soul-stirring new musical infused with nostalgic Scottish folk sounds and foot-stomping rhythms.
Lifeline runs from 28 April to 2 May at Southwark Playhouse Elephant. Info here.
LIFELINE spans love and a looming global crisis — how do you keep it feeling intimate rather than overwhelming?
I think focussing on the human aspects of the show is what keeps it from feeling overwhelming or something we can’t get our heads around, which is easy to get lost in when dealing with a heavy subject. The show hits relatable topics such as grief, loss, discovery, love, family and best of all hope.
With real-life medics on stage, in what way will the show land differently for you each night?
Naturally with a wonderful group of real life medical professionals each week, the show will stay fresh and exciting for all of us involved. These people are incredible humans who have given up their time to join us on stage, and what each of them do professionally is entirely different. As actors it’s our job to respond to that authentically.
How do you navigate jumping between 1950s Scotland and present-day Edinburgh as a performer?
My role in the show only deals with the modern day story, but it’s actually quite lovely to leave the stage in a pair of scrubs then pass someone entering into a new scene in period style costume. It’s so unique in that way and hopefully by the end, the worlds will meet in a clever and artistic way.
This is science-led but emotion-driven — where do you find your way into it?
Yes the Science is incredibly important and relevant to this story, but can also be polarising if you don’t quite understand all the technicality of phrases etc….. I definitely don’t! However, at the heart of the story is the real- life human emotions of what each of the characters is going through. Science like-minded or not, that is something we all relate to. Whether it be heartbreak, falling in love, grief, loss, laughter. We all understand that.
What feels different about working on a piece that’s still evolving and so tied to real-world stakes?
I definitely feel the weight of telling the story in the most authentic and clear way. It’s a topic that needs to be heard and understood by everyone around the world, and what better way to do it than in art form. And how lucky we are to have real life medical professionals who face Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) every day, to help us in doing that. We’ve also been lucky enough to have an incredible creative team who are open minded and malleable at every corner.
What’s this show revealed to you about the power of “ordinary” people?
No one is actually ordinary. And when working together especially, we can achieve extraordinary things.