Curtain up on my first theatre visit in 283 days - Liam Rudden

That's the longest I have gone without a trip to see a play or musical in my adult life.

Last Sunday, I had the chance to put that right when an email dropped from the Royal Lyceum on Grindlay Street, inviting me to pop in to see the new way of working that has allowed them to bring their Christmas Tales to audiences, all watching from the comfort and safety of their homes.

When I say 'pop in', it sounds like little has changed but it wasn't quite that simple.

Having decided a piece of live theatre was just the diversion I needed in these testing times I had to first complete a health declaration, again dispatched by email. This is something that could become commonplace. Indeed, before they were forced to close again as London returned to Teir 3, West End theatres were already emailing such a document to audiences 48 hours prior to the performance of the show they had booked to see.

With the form came a list of the venue's Covid protocols and the now standard request not to attend if I was displaying any symptoms on the morning of my visit.

Thankfully, I wasn't, so I headed along to be met at the stage door by press manager Harry. Both masked and maintaining the two metre space between us, I santised my hands and signed in before she led me through a deserted maze of backstage corridors. We emerged into the public ‘front of house’ area and from there into the auditorium - a very different one to that with which regulars are familiar.

For a start, the stalls are gone, well, not exactly gone, more hidden beneath a new stage which now extends out over the dust covered seats and scaffolding that supports the new structure.

Upstairs, the stage now reaches out to the empty seats of the Dress Circle. On it, a raised performance area thrusts into the centre, around it, three camera stations ensure that every nuance of any performance can be captured. Another stedi-cam and operator records the action when it ventures onto the original stage.

There something very peaceful about being the only audience member watching the drama unfold, there's also something quite heartbreaking about the fact that, due to current restrictions, the unique experience any live piece of theatre brings can not be shared in person.

There was also something very alien about wearing a mask throughout the visit, even though we’ve become somewhat inured to donning face coverings these days.

Like me, the stage crew and camera operators were also masked and distanced as they went about their business. A countdown clock ticked away the seconds before the auditorium descended into darkness, the stage glowing as the house lights dimmed and the first of the day’s four 25 minute plays began – The Christmas Ghost, by Louise Ironside, performed by Ryan Hunter, and very good it was too.

Lyceum Christmas Tales are available to watch online here.

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