National Theatre Live: Retrograde

09/09/2025

Hollywood’s so-called Golden Age. Ten years before becoming the first Black man to win an Oscar, a young Sidney Poitier arrives to sign a life-changing contract that could make him a star. But there’s a catch. As he becomes entangled in events larger than he imagined, Sidney is forced to make an impossible choice – one that will reshape his future, the Civil Rights Movement, and the soul of a nation. From award-winning writer Ryan Calais Cameron (For Black Boys…), exploring integrity, betrayal, and the personal cost of success, Retrograde asks what would you sacrifice to achieve your dream? Backed by double Oscar and BAFTA nominee Colman Domingo as producer, Amit Sharma’s ‘perfectly pitched production’ (Independent) features Ivanno Jeremiah (Constellations), Stanley Townsend (Kaos) and Oliver Johnstone (Antigone).