Tag Archives: Stanley Townsend

RETROGRADE

★★★★

Apollo Theatre

RETROGRADE

Apollo Theatre

★★★★

“the tension is expertly paced, punctuated with sharp quips and well-timed barbs that keep the drama crackling”

Ryan Calais Cameron’s Retrograde is a taut and electrifying drama that captures a pivotal moment in Sidney Poitier’s career and moral journey. It’s the mid-1950s, and Poitier is on the cusp of stardom. But, his breakout performance in Blackboard Jungle has brought him not only industry attention, but an altogether more sinister political attention. Now, on the verge of signing with New York-based TV network NBC, he faces a career-defining choice: sign a loyalty oath and make a public statement denouncing civil rights activist Paul Robeson or risk blacklisting.

This gripping three-hander, based in truth, stars Ivanno Jeremiah as Sidney Poitier, Oliver Johnstone as his friend Bobby, a white liberal screenwriter who has written a role for him, and Stanley Townsend as Parks, NBC’s ruthless lawyer who demands Poitier sign the oath. As Bobby and Poitier’s friendship is tested, both men must confront how much they are willing to sacrifice for career advancement. Self-interest begins to outweigh principles, and the stakes for all three characters become ever more apparent.

The play runs for 90 minutes without an interval, unfolding in real time as Poitier arrives for what he believes will be a straightforward contract signing. Bobby has been singing Poitier’s praises to Parks, but when Poitier enters, it quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary meeting. When Bobby is asked to leave, and Parks and Poitier are left alone, the pressure intensifies. Parks reveals that this is not merely about a contract, Poitier must prove that this “Black-Black” actor from the Caribbean upholds “American values.” Their exchange is a harrowing power play, laying bare the racial and political tensions of the era.

Under Amit Sharma’s direction, the tension is expertly paced, punctuated with sharp quips and well-timed barbs that keep the drama crackling. Sharma ensures the psychological and moral dilemmas remain at the forefront. Moments of stillness land as powerfully as the play’s most charged exchanges, often lingering just long enough to make the next verbal moment of levity or cutting blow hit even harder.

Jeremiah delivers a magnetic performance, shifting from an unemployed actor forced to entertain white gatekeepers to a principled man refusing to compromise. Johnstone’s Bobby, brimming with nervous charm, subtly unravels as the tension escalates, his affability giving way to desperation. Townsend, on stage for most of the play, dominates as Parks, embodying cold, relentless pragmatism.

Frankie Bradshaw’s set design enhances the claustrophobic atmosphere. The single setting (a stark, mid-century NBC studio office) is both period-accurate and symbolically oppressive. A subtle but telling touch is a Notorious (1946) film poster on the office wall. Hitchcock’s thriller, centred on espionage and moral compromise, quietly reflects Poitier’s predicament. A prominent clock runs in real time, its ticking growing louder at key moments, reinforcing the inescapable pressure on Poitier, a subtle but effective auditory cue from sound designer Beth Duke. The play opens with period jazz and sound bites referencing Poitier’s growing reputation – significantly, voices of others commenting on him – making the final audio recording, in his own voice, all the more poignant.

Bradshaw’s costume design is equally thoughtful. Poitier’s outfit, a somewhat garish, ill-fitting mix of burgundy and burnt orange, feels out of place, making him appear exoticised beside the grey-suited establishment figures of Parks and Bobby, visually reinforcing the power imbalance. Lighting by Amy Mae plays a crucial role in shaping the mood. Stark, interrogative lighting casts deep shadows, reinforcing the feeling of entrapment. Subtle shifts in lighting reflect the evolving power struggle.

With Retrograde, Ryan Calais Cameron has crafted a play that not only honours Sidney Poitier’s legacy but also speaks powerfully to the present day. The dilemmas Poitier faced – navigating a system that demanded assimilation at the cost of authenticity – still ring true for many actors of colour today.



RETROGRADE

Apollo Theatre

Reviewed on 20th March 2025

by Ellen Cheshire

Photography by Marc Brenner

 

 


 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

FAWLTY TOWERS THE PLAY | ★★★★★ | May 2024
MIND MANGLER | ★★★★ | March 2024
THE TIME TRAVELLER’S WIFE | ★★★ | November 2023
POTTED PANTO | ★★★★★ | December 2022
CRUISE | ★★★★★ | August 2022
MONDAY NIGHT AT THE APOLLO | ★★★½ | May 2021

 

RETROGRADE

RETROGRADE

RETROGRADE

Review of Glengarry Glen Ross – 4 Stars

Glengarry

GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS

Playhouse Theatre

Reviewed – 10th November 2017

★★★★

“this is a play that hinges on the language – a snappy mix of the toxic and intoxicating”

 

Written nearly thirty-five years ago, David Mamet’s play charts two days in the lives of four desperate real estate agents who unscrupulously engage in a number of unethical, illegal acts – lies, flattery, bribery, threats, intimidation and burglary – to coax unguarded clients into buying undesirable real estate. The world premiere at the National Theatre was acclaimed as a triumph of ensemble acting. In this revival at the Playhouse, directed by Sam Yates, the accolade still rings true with a first rate cast headed by Christian Slater. Although the word ‘headed’ is a slight misnomer – it is very much an ensemble piece.

Each character is as intrinsic as the next to the narrative flow, which makes this a difficult review to write, as fifteen minutes into the first act the show is brought to a halt when one of the actors collapses on stage. For forty minutes the audience wait while the safety curtain remains lowered. Eventually Slater arrives onstage to announce that the show will go on, with the understudy reading in for the actor. The cast continue with gusto, but one can’t help feeling that the momentum has ebbed ever so slightly. Even if one can’t see it in the performances, it is there in one’s perception of them.

But allowances aside, this is a play that hinges on the language – a snappy mix of the toxic and intoxicating. What is remarkable in the writing, and the performances, is the way it is clear that the bullishness, the pugilistic barrage of insults thrown at each other, the lies and the cajoling, is all a veneer. The outward depiction is that of masculinity to the extreme, but what we sense is the struggle, the vulnerability and the resignation to the fact that the game might be over.

The first half introduces the characters to us through three short scenes set in a plush Chinese restaurant (design by Chiara Stephenson). Kris Marshall is unrecognisable as he takes on the role of the dispassionate office manager, refusing to yield to the pleas of the older, yet junior, Shelly Levene – the past-its-sell-by-date old timer who yearns for the good ol’ days. Stanley Townsend evokes his exhausted hope and fragile nostalgia.

It is after the interval that the play comes into its own though. We have already been introduced to Slater’s snake-like Ricky Roma, but here he shifts up a gear, lifting the action with it. Probably the most assured yet two-dimensional character. You instantly know not to trust his smile, yet when he does launch into an explosion of insults and expletives you are still gleefully taken aback. It is invigorating to watch. Mamet’s text is savage, yes, but also laced with biting comedy.

It is a shame, then, not to witness the acclaimed Robert Glenister, to my mind one of our finest stage and screen actors. We wish him well and look forward to him stepping back onto the stage. As they say, the show goes on, and this one will.

 

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Marc Brenner

 

Theatre Tickets

 

GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS

is at the Playhouse Theatre until 3rd February 2018

 

 

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