In a first for me this lockdown, I found myself spending a very different Saturday night at the theatre. Instead of being sat in a mildly comfortable seat with not much leg room, I found myself in bed watching 5 excellent actors perform a Tom Stoppard play on Zoom. Put on in order to raise awareness and money of the excellent work of The Felix Project and to creatives currently out of work, A Separate Peace is a one act play following a man named John Brown who has checked himself into a private nursing home. This then leads the staff to work out why he is there when he is perfectly healthy.

This is my first time watching a play of such nature via a video conferencing app, so I feel like I’m not completely equipped to dig into the specifics unlike watching a play in front of my own eyes. But I thought it was a well executed production. Using plain white backgrounds (and changes where necessary to the plot) behind the actors really helped create an atmosphere of the nursing home the play was set in.

Producers Curtain Call assembled a stellar cast for their debut production in this series. Playing John Brown is David Morrissey whose charm managed to seep through the computer screen. I also really enjoyed Denise Gough and Jenna Coleman’s performances too, particularly how Jenna Coleman’s Nurse and David Morrissey’s Brown managed to strike up a friendship. Even through a computer screen, they had really lovely chemistry together.

Despite the play’s 35 minute run time, I did find myself feeling slightly bored by it. I put this down to this being my first Tom Stoppard play (I was supposed to be seeing Leopoldstadt the day the theatres shut down) and perhaps I was just not used to his style.  However, I did think the overall production was truly well executed and delivered some fantastic performances. Bravo to all involved.

Check out for more information on The Felix Project here https://thefelixproject.org

Keep well and stay safe!

Until next time,