The Mould That Changed the World

A great show. Go and see it. Talent abounds. The wonderful Strep Sisters dance beautifully through the show...the main characters are all excellent in their performances .... I would have liked to hear more of the beautiful voice of James Ross. The lyrics and tunes are very catchy ... ( I can hear myself hoovering to ‘ sterilise those beakers,’. Etc. ). I’m already thinking of singing to folk on the train that cough and splutter .. ‘Coughs and sneezes spread diseases etc ..’. . See me on the train to North Berwick!

Very lucky to get tickets for the show as they appear to be selling like hot cakes! Looking from the program I must give accolades to Benjamin Froelich as the main protagonist, Alexander Fleming. The chemistry between Ross Jamieson and Mathew Tomlinson was fun and energetic. Both female leads have fantastic voices and I enjoyed Graham Richardson channeling an inner "Captain Hook" style evil character without being too panto. I will hopefully be back. Aisling Morton

Saw The Mould last night and it has a bit of everything: sickness, death, singing, dancing, quick changes, fiendishly catchy tunes and a serious message for all of us at the end.
Not my thing at all, but I loved it. Definitely the best thing I have seen so far on the 2018 Fringe.
Get your tickets now, because they are going fast, and rightly so.

The Mould That Changed the World
Tickets for ‘Mould’ were selling like gold and I had to queue around the corner to get into this new Edinburgh Festival show about antibiotics. Five minutes into this musical and it was clear that ‘The Mould That Changed the World’ is what happens when you give Andrew Lloyd Webber penicillin. Thank goodness he didn’t take anything stronger! The take home message from this show is that there are dangers that come from antibiotics being over-prescribed. I think that doctors and patients who abuse antibiotics should be made to watch this show repeatedly until they change their ways.

You may have guessed that Andrew Lloyd Webber is not exactly my cup of tea / coffee / other addictive beverage. But let me reassure the Webberians that everything that they could ever hope for in a musical is flung around on the stage. People burst into song at the drop of a hat (dialogue is so over-rated) and the singers, the dancers and the orchestra perform with gusto. Hell, even the sign language guy looked exhausted at the end. The show clearly has a West End costume budget with fresh apparel for every song. And Webber’s fifth and sixth wives would be excellent vocal soloists in any Broadway production.

The story begins in the First World War with soldiers dying from infected wounds – don’t cry for me septicemia. Fortunately, even then doctors were aware that microbes, represented by young ladies in grey leotards, were the culprits and made use of antiseptics. However, Alexander Fleming, observed that antiseptics did more harm than good when applied to deep wounds. Fleming’s findings were ignored by most army physicians just like the Phantom of the Opera. But Fleming stuck to his inquiries and chance favours those who work hard, pay attention and think deeply. And in 1928, he stumbled upon a mould that killed bacteria.

Often in science a “Eureka” is followed by a “So what?” Fleming’s Jesus Christ Superstar morning was followed-up with a decade of hard-work by chemists in Oxford to develop a discovery into a viable medicine; hard-work that was supported with generous government funding following the outbreak of the Second World War.

Patient Number One was a gardener who was infected whilst pruning roses. I thought this was a golden opportunity to include Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose” and Webber’s fifth wife looked up for it. But no, it was time for another one of those Les Misérables, c’est la vie.

Then there was a happy ending interlude when Fleming and the Oxford boys (Florey and Chain) get their Nobel Prize, endorsements and sponsorships. This was well earned as penicillin saved the lives of millions who would have been doomed with Dettol.

But happiness was short-lived when antibiotics were needlessly over-prescribed leading to the evolution of bacteria which are resistant to penicillin. Those grey leotard gals were back for a field-day!

Putting aside my personal aversion to Webber, this is a sound show with a serious message. Please don’t ask for antibiotics you don’t need so that musicals like this don’t have to be made.

The Mould That Changed the World will be performed at Surgeon’s Hall throughout the Fringe Festival.

Excellent performance, music and accurate science. This show is terrific! Go and see it!

Loved the show! Great performance from actors, musicians and dancers with an important message for the future.

Making a drama out of a crisis. A terrific show - musical theatre at its best. Fast paced, professional and limitless opportunities for antimicrobial puns: infectious music, catchy lyrics....

Hugely talented and enthusiastic cast combined with the fresh and catchy music made this a Fringe moment to remember! The harmonies were faultless, and the cast worked very hard in what was a very warm venue. Well done and enjoy the rest of the run :-)

Great tunes, wonderful principals, and one of the most unusual stories you will ever see a musical based on. Alexander Fleming and antibiotics, worked through a glorious tale ranging from the First World War, the Nobel prize Committee, and a deep reflection of our society. Great talent in every aspect. Should definitely be on your to-see list!

really enjoyed this show. Sends an important message about antibiotic resistance and has some fantastic music in it aswell. Was pleased to see on the website about the primary school initiative as I think this can really get the message out. All principals were great performers but particular credit must go to the fantastic vocal quality of Plague and the scientist with the round glasses, Florry. 5 star show and hope to go again in the run.