Tag Archives: Ryan Calais Cameron

“Retrograde” at the Apollo Theatre

Even with five-star reviews from its premiere at the Kiln Theatre, a West End transfer for a play about Sidney Poitier was never guaranteed. Considering the ‘action’ is three people in one room talking about two pieces of paper, it could be considered a tough sell. But Ryan Calais Cameron’s new play is wonderfully rich. Looking at “trailblazer, activist, icon” Poitier at the start of his career in such a sophisticated and provocative style would surely have made its subject proud.

On the eve of signing a contract with a TV station, Poitier finds himself caught up in Senator McCarthy’s “red scare”, potentially ending his career before it begins. While the subject feels topical – it’s hard not to draw parallels with current events – Cameron doesn’t sacrifice historical context (younger members of the audience seemed a little puzzled, if enthusiastic). This is a solid period drama that makes its points with a firm understanding of the past while allowing us to think about the present day.

Amit Sharma’s confident direction helps. It’s clear he appreciates the strength of the script and he paces it wonderfully. It’s the characters who are the key, and the cast also rises to this quality material. Ivanno Jeremiah does justice to Poitier with a commanding performance. As his character’s admiration for Paul Robeson indicates, it’s good to have a hero. And, like the best heroes, this one has complexity. The will-he-won’t-he signing of a “loyalty oath” is accompanied by moving, tearful anguish from Jeremiah, and his dialect work, with Poitier’s accent slipping at times of stress, is accomplished.

Retrograde is also strong when it considers the industry it is set in. The issues are bigger than TV and Hollywood but wider implications aren’t overplayed. OK, nods to representation aren’t subtle… but they are convincing enough to answer critics who might regard them as a solely contemporary concern. Cameron doesn’t have to work hard to make us believe in the mendacity of the movie business but still does a grand job. And it’s neat that there’s a great role for a writer, the passionate but ineffectual Bobby, whose project Poitier is connected to. A good man but with flaws, and subject to temptation, the performance from Oliver Johnstone brings his qualities out perfectly. 

Cameron also knows how a play can benefit from a great villain. And it’s here that he has excelled himself in the form of the play’s lawyer. Stanley Townsend’s Mr Parks comes close to stealing the show, which in itself is a brave move. Parks talks some sense but, as Poitier points out, he is greedy and afraid. He’s easy to hate but we’re allowed to admire him too, since he brings out the joys of a script crammed with brilliant insults. Many are uncomfortably racist, sexist and scatological. But even more are very funny. “As stupid as a soup sandwich” is my favourite, but invective of this standard is a treat. Retrograde, like its subject, is a class act, so well-written and performed that the West End is lucky to have it.

Until 14 June 2025

www.apollotheatre.co.uk

Photo by Marc Brenner

“Typical” from the Soho Theatre

Based on real events, Ryan Calais Cameron’s play about the death of a Black man in police custody is powerful and important. Even the suggestion that such events deserve the show’s title is stirring. As for the work of director Anastasia Osei-Kuffour and her star Richard Blackwood – it is exemplary.

The poetry of Typical is key to the show’s success – it sold out at the Edinburgh Festival and received rave reviews on its London transfer. Cameron’s ability with words deserves further antonyms to his play’s title. And Blackwood’s delivery of the script is a revelation – in this specially filmed version, he handles rhythm with at first playfulness and then power. Also excellent is the show’s pacing, which Osei-Kuffour and her camera crew do so well with, ensuring every minute of this hour-long performance is essential.

Time is taken to establish Blackwood’s character. In his engaging performance, we come to know a man who jokes that he is “a hazard”. He’s got bad taste in music and good ideas about the design of a toaster. Appealing and believable, his plans for a night out and learning about his friends and family are endearing.

It doesn’t take long before attempts to have fun go wrong. The fact that there’s no plot spoiler here is depressing… but the drama still works. Indeed, tension mounts as our hero – and that’s the best word – struggles to keep his cool in the face of ‘casual’ racism that becomes violent. It would be good if the woman we meet had more personality, but Cameron makes a point about the sexual stereotypes that surround black men concisely and powerfully.

A subsequent fight and then encounter with the police (all the more frustrating as it takes place in a hospital) brings us to a final third. It’s a section that deserves the trigger warning that comes with the show. It is a further tribute to Blackwood that it is physically uncomfortable to watch. Inspired by events surrounding a former paratrooper who died in 1998, Typical is dedicated to Christopher Alder. This outstanding show serves as a moving tribute to him and the many more men and women who have died in police custody.

www.sohotheatreondemand.com

Photo by Franklyn Rogers