The problem with masks in theatres

As if our beleaguered prime minister didn’t have enough to worry about, now comes another unhelpful headline. For on a mid-week trip to Islington’s most fashionable theatre, the Almeida, Boris Johnson had the misfortune to be spotted – well, snapped – by another audience member after he had temporarily removed his face-mask.

For the tutting Zero Covid fanatics of Twitter, this latest mask blunder is – of course – yet further evidence of the PM’s reckless disregard for lives and safety. For anyone who’s stepped foot in a theatre, though, Johnson’s choice will be viewed much more sympathetically. For if there’s a more irritating place on earth to wear a mask than the theatre, I’ve yet to find it.

Watching a play isn’t popping to the shops or jumping on the tube. It’s a long commitment – three hours in the case of this particular play (The Tragedy of Macbeth). That’s quite a while to tolerate something potentially obstructing your breathing.