Shifters is a meditation on first love – love found, love lost and love rediscovered. Playwright Benedict Lombe deserves high praise for crafting this profoundly universal work because what starts out as a fun little romcom turns into an existential riff on all the important stuff in our lives.
It’s a two-hander featuring a pair of Brits with African Ancestry. Dre’s (Daniel Ezra) family is from Nigeria and Des (Heather Agyepong) has roots in the Congo. As specific as that may sound, they are both instantly relatable. That’s a tribute to the writing but also the performances of the two actors who embody these roles with a warmth and intensity that make you want to know them and eventually love them as well.
True to its title, the play constantly shifts in time but also marks a shifting in the characters’ attitudes, behavior and personality. It begins when they are both 32 years old. We first meet Dre at the funeral of his beloved grandmother who raised him most of his life. He is surprised to see Des who shows up late to pay her respects. We find out that it’s been 8 years since they last connected. The story then jumps back half their lives when they first met at age 16 in high school joining the Debate Team.
Back and forth, the play slowly explores their relationship, painted in broad strokes at first, as we see the awkwardness and insecurities of early friendship. She’s a skeptic. He’s a believer but as their bond comes into sharper focus, it becomes clear they are soulmates. By age 18 they fall hard for each other. It’s an all consuming love, and with that first kiss, we are smitten right along with them. A slight quibble: it takes roughly 50 minutes before they kiss. It’s a lovely climactic moment, but the play could use a trim in that first half.
Lombe’s monologues have a poetic lyricism. In fact some of the passages are scripted on the page to look like poetry. Here’s Des describing their mutual attraction.
It starts in your soul. Makes its way into your mind.
And then finally, you feel it – sitting there – in your body.
It wraps itself around your heart
filling it with light
and then gently
quietly
explodes it.
Beat
It’s a powerful thing to be seen.
Throughout, the narrative is sprinkled with existential questions: Is there an absolute truth? How are the important moments in our lives implanted on our memories? What is the impact of trauma on our relationships? But they’re not didactic abstractions. The inherent drama tying the two kindred souls together remains very much front and center, and delivered with plenty of light and humor.
The upshot is that we are so entirely invested in this relationship that the ending becomes a matter of great suspense. Will they or won’t they end up together? And as structured, the final moments conclude with a flurry of quick scenes, much like a montage sequence in a movie reminding us of key moments that ultimately determine what happens next.
It may take a little time to get accustomed to the strong British accents. But both actors deserve kudos for the convincing way their characters shift back and forth from impulsive teen to reflective adult and everything in between. In lesser hands, without costumes or props to distinguish their ages, the time shifts could be confusing.
Agyepong originated the role of Des in the UK and it shows. She’s a natural in the part, delivering the pathos and the humor with splendid conviction. The offhanded way she mockingly pronounces the name of a perceived rival is laugh out loud funny.
Daniel Ezra, who’s newer to the production, is equally impressive. It’s easy to see how anyone could fall for this guy. He exudes charisma just standing there. And he movingly navigates the emotional twists and turns that rock Dre to his core.
Lynette Linton has been the play’s director of record from its inception and she has ably fostered its development from London to the intimate Cherry Lane where it’s making its North American premiere. Wisely, she’s kept the play very much the thing with a bare-bones scenic design. Only the lights stand out as jagged overhead tubes that color and flicker based on the mood and tone of each scene.
Music has a prominent role to play in the production, evoking the characters’ emotional evolution. Credit composer and Soundscape designer Xana for adding yet another dimension to the play’s inescapable power. Shifters may be a very small play but it strikes a symphony of resonant chords.
Shifters opened July 15, 2026, at the Cherry Lane Theatre and runs through August 30. Tickets and information: cherrylanetheatre.org
