Following its sold out run at the Kiln Theatre, Ryan Calais Cameron‘s ”electrifying” (Evening Standard) Retrograde is now playing at the Apollo Theatre for a strictly limited run.
Inspired by real events, 10 years before Sidney Poitier becomes the first Black man to win the Oscar for Best Actor, this gripping drama captures the moment the young actor (Ivanno Jeremiah, Constellations) prepares to sign a career-defining Hollywood contract that could make him a star. But there’s a catch. Will he put his career before his principles? In a time of betrayals, will he name names? Will he sign his life away?
Interestingly, actor, director and civil rights activist Poitier, who died in 2022 at the age of 94, credited an old Jewish waiter for his success. Poitier was a newly-arrived uneducated Bahamian washing dishes in a New York restaurant when he met the waiter who helped him improve his literacy by reading with him.
“Every night he would come over and sit with me,” Poitier said. “He taught me what a comma is, what periods are, what colons and dashes do. He explained syllables and how to pronounce words.”
This nightly tutoring shaped Poitier’s confidence and communication skills, crucial for his success. However, he carried a lifelong regret – never getting the chance to thank the waiter.
Fascinating though this is, Retrograde is about the moral and professional dilemma Poitier faces due to the racial tensions of 1950s Hollywood. Directed by the Kiln Theatre’s Artistic Director Amit Sharma, we have three pairs of tickets to see Retrograde at the Apollo Theatre in the West End to give away.
To enter fill out the form below.
Terms & Conditions: Three readers will each win a pair of tickets to see Retrograde at the Apollo Theatre valid for all Monday to Friday performances until 30 May 2025, subject to availability. Exclusions may apply. No cash alternative. Competition closes 15 April 2025.
