Shifters – Duke of York’s Theatre, London

Benedict Lombe’s Shifters shifts from the Bush Theatre to a West End run at the Duke of York’s Theatre. A charismatic love story, Shifters is funny, honest, and bittersweet.

Shifters

How wonderful to see Shifters in the West End.  Although also slightly outrageous that this is only the third West End production of a play by a Black British woman.  But what a play it is. Witty, real, and memorable.

Shifters, by Benedict Lombe, is the story of Dre (Tosin Cole) and Des (Heather Agyepong).  Drawn together as the only two Black kids in their class near Crewe and with an immediate spark between them, is it destiny or chance that brings them together?  Whatever it is, it keeps them in each others’ orbit as they grow and – young, gifted and Black – find success in their chosen fields. Whenever they meet their connection is undeniable, but is it enough to build something more? Will their shared history, the fact that they really see each other, sustain their relationship as it shifts? Ah, that is the question.

But, as important as this charming love story written for Black British leads is, Shifters is more than this.  It also plays with the idea of memory.  As Des puts it, “we can’t help but make meaning out of what we know in the present, right? And the meaning we make of our lives changes how we remember things.” The play, told alternatively from Des’s and Dre’s perspective, dips fluidly in and out of memories from one scene to the next.  What can we rely on, and what is altered in the remembering?

Structurally, Shifters bears some resemblance to Nick Payne’s Constellations, or Sam Steiner’s Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons. A two-hander, charting a relationship in a series of ever-shifting, non-sequitur scenes, which also explores an anchoring premise. Of the three, Shifters is probably the least concept-driven and most relationship focused, and in my opinion is the more compelling for it.

A Shift to the West End

Shifters started life at the Bush Theatre.  The Bush’s Artistic Director Lynette Linton directs once more, and Heather Agyepong and Tosin Cole reprise their roles as Des and Dre respectively.  Their performances are excellent. Shifters is a story about the effect of trauma and memory on love as much as it is a love story, and Agyepong captures Des’s guardedness with skill, while Cole leans into moments of intense emotional vulnerability. Reflecting on the lessons from For Black Boys, it is both a rarity and a privilege to see a Black male lead given this much space to be vulnerable on stage.

Like Tom Scutt’s design for Constellations, Alex Berry’s set design (with lighting by Neil Austin) is simple and easily evokes different scenes and moods without the actors ever stepping off the stage. That is not to say I was always entirely sure of which scene or time period we were in. I wasn’t, but it almost didn’t matter. Particularly if you read the play as Dre and Des reminiscing as they spend an evening together, with the memories deepening our understanding of the present.  The design includes traverse seating: closer to the action but bear in mind if booking that many are delivered to the front.

Finally, Linton’s direction is confident, allowing Dre and Des’s reconnection to start as a slow burn, sparking more frequently as the stakes become higher over the course of 100 minutes.  Their love story is bittersweet, but it’s one that you root for.  Shifters is a real treat, don’t miss out on its nine week run at the Duke of York’s Theatre.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 4/5

Shifters on until 12 October 2024.  More info and tickets here.