Peer through the Perspex and enjoy the show

The Last Five Years (Southwark Playhouse, London) Verdict: Musical peep show ★★★II

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER may want to take a look at the resourceful Southwark Playhouse after all the concern this week about his socialdistancing arrangements at the London Palladium.

Last Sunday’s one-off show, Songs For A New World, ran at 50 per cent capacity with some people worried they weren’t a metre apart.

Southwark Playhouse’s solution has been to fix Perspex panels between seats of those who haven’t booked as part of a bubble. Squashed into your plastic nook — and with the obligatory masks and one-way system — it’s the most radical socialdistancing gimmick I’ve been part of so far. I guess it’s a bit like being at a peep show.

As for the actual performance, it’s a two-person musical about a young couple’s five-year relationship, told from start to finish in 90 minutes.

It was one of the last things I saw before lockdown, and I remain impressed by performers Molly Lynch (above) and Oli Higginson, who belt headlong through Jason Robert Brown’s score (which fans claim is a creative fusion of Billy Joel and Stephen Sondheim).

My problem remains the story, in which neither character risks much for the other.

But it’s bringing young audiences to their feet night after night, making me wonder if those Perspex panels need to be a little higher.

And if that sounds too risky, you can now stream it to watch at home (via