'Innovative direction, busy with movement, that added to the chaos of the story and showed extremely well how they were all trapped together.'  ★★★☆☆

The dark, restricting crypt that is the Barons Court Theatre was the perfect place to use for Rory McGrory's purgatory in the U.K. premiere of T.J. Elliot's Retrospective. Confined by a surround of blank canvases, the artist wakes up in this strange gallery and is soon joined by his dead wife Pippa. Eventually convincing him that he too is now dead, they embark on a duel of reminiscence, arguments, insults and accusations. Later, two more characters from the artist's past arrive to add to the chaos as the four struggle with their pasts in an attempt to work out how to escape.

Noah Huntley, as the artist Rory McGrory gives a lively and varied performance; from his initial disbelief that he is dead and viewing a retrospective of his life's work that he can't even see, to frustrated anger at the curatorial comments about his paintings and his contemporary Clint Belinsky. Sarah Pearcy has a commanding stage presence and the choreographed explanations in the afterlife were comically performed. The audience for the most part seemed to find the funny bits funny and the energy of the actors gave the intimate atmosphere in the theatre a personal feel. Everyone was on for the ride and this rather wierd story, well performed, was appreciated by everyone. The connections and antagonisms between Rory and the other three were well defined and the escape from purgatory for all of them relied on acceptance of the truth about their past in one way or another. Jasmine Dorothy Haefner as Z and Benjamin Parsons as Clint Belinsky gave strong performances in their supporting roles.

The directing was innovative and the stage often busy with movement. This was something that worked well in such a small space and something that added to the chaos of the story and showed extremely well how they were all trapped together.  Their freedom, being expressed towards the end as each one exited, leaving the artist alone on the stage to finally see what he had created on his once blank canvases.

READ INTERVIEW with playwright T.J. Elliott and director Liviu Monsted on RETROSPECTIVE HERE 

Retrospective 
by T J Elliott

14 - 23 May 2026, 7.30 pm

BOX OFFICE

By T.J.Elliot Directed by Liviu Monsted

Cast

Noah Huntley as RORY MCGRORY

Sarah Pearcey as PIPPA LEFEBVRE

Jasmine Dorothy Haefner as Z

Benjamin Parsons as CLINT BELINSKY

Photographer: Marjorie Phillips Elliott