'Shifters' Off-Broadway review — time and memory blur in this dreamlike love story

Read our review of Shifters off Broadway, a romantic drama play written by Benedict Lombe and directed by Lynette Linton following two acclaimed London runs.

Summary

• Shifters is a romantic drama following old friends and lovers Des and Dre over 16 years
• The action jumps back and forth between the present and 16 years' worth of past memories
• The show tells a familiar kind of bittersweet love story but stands out for the actors' chemistry and the ethereal lighting design
• The show is recommended for fans of shows and movies like Past Lives; Maybe Happy Ending; Gruesome Playground Injuries; and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York); as well as fans of Black stories

There's a dreamlike quality to Shifters at the Cherry Lane Theatre. The first thing we see is Neil Austin's excellent lighting design, consisting of glow stick-shaped lights all akimbo amid a smattering of small orbs like stars suspended from the ceiling. They look like a house of mirrors, or a nightclub, or tally marks, or a porous curtain through which we, somewhat voyeuristically, observe the unexpected reunion of Dre (Daniel Ezra) and Des (Heather Agyepong).

On paper, the setting is actually Dre's grandma's funeral and later his apartment, and deep grief follows the pair to both places thanks to years' worth of electric memories, which we also peer into. Dre and Des were high school friends with an instant spark that dimmed as they put physical and emotional distance between themselves, leaving a pile of ache and unsaid words in the chasm. Both are raw, exposed nerves walking: Agyepong's Des is an illustrator with a whip-smart brain but less comfort in her traumatized body; Ezra's Dre is a sensitive wannabe restaurateur who hides behind teasing and bravado. They have strong chemistry together, but Ezra's individual performance feels a bit more lived-in despite being the newest addition to the company. (Agyepong and director Lynette Linton return from Shifters's two London runs from 2024.)

Shifters deserves celebration as a distinctly Black love story written with a clear depth of care, authenticity, humor, and thoughtful poetry by Congolese British playwright Benedict Lombe. Des shares that same identity, while Dre is Nigerian British. These backgrounds are integral to the characters: An offhand comment about the improbability of a Nigerian-Congolese wedding makes a later reveal that Des launched a fusion restaurant, which blends his and Des's native cuisines, hit harder. Their foods can at least join together in perpetuity, even if their hearts can't — or can they? It's not for me to spoil. Debates over this topic and many others, both philosophical and banal, are also a repeated device throughout the script for Dre and Des, who did debate club at school together, volley their feelings.

Despite these individually appealing elements, though, I felt like I'd seen so many versions of the same story before within the past few years alone. There's Broadway's current Maybe Happy Ending and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), Off-Broadway's recent Gruesome Playground Injuries revival, even the 2023 film Past Lives: All these right-person-wrong-circumstance rom-drams streaked with humor yielded already diminishing returns as I watched one after the other, dealing Shifters an unfortunate hand as number five in line. Once it's over, the play that deals with the collapsing folds of time and memory ironically fades away into them like a dream, save for the indelible and haunting glow of the lights.

Shifters summary

At his grandmother's funeral, restaurateur Dre reunites with children's book author and illustrator Des as she arrives to pay her respects. Now 32, the pair are old friends and former lovers who met in school as teenagers 16 years before, and their reunion forces them to confront their unfinished business with each other. The play unfolds in non-linear order, jumping between the past and present as they, and we, piece together their history and memories.

Shifters premiered at London's Bush Theatre in 2024 and transferred to the West End later that year, earning an Olivier Award nomination for Best New Play.

What to expect at Shifters

"This is the moment when [...] time is an illusion. Because the walls of the world we built, the walls where time is linear and finite — start to crumble," Dre observes at the top of the play. Alex Berry's boxy set fully encapsulates this feeling: It's a liminal space in which the past, present, and future all exist at once. It's an appropriately disorienting feeling to be just on the edges, looking in at Dre and Des and feeling like nothing exists beyond them in any given moment, even though, of course, we do. Austin's lighting achieves a similar effect, insular and cosmic all at once.

The Cherry Lane, normally a standard proscenium space, has been reconfigured so audiences sit on two sides of the stage. The actors more often play to the side where the seats are traditionally located, so audiences on the other side — toward the usual rear of the stage — might see more of the actors' backs and profiles in some moments.

What audiences are saying about Shifters

• "I knew very little about the play other than it was a two-hander from the UK and left feeling pretty electrified by the whole thing [...] The writing elevates the simple plot with elevated moments of dialogue and monologue that often feel like poetry. However, this piece truly shines with these actors. Heather Agyepong and Daniel Ezra have an absolutely electric chemistry that flies off the stage." - Reddit user u/Kooky-Dig-5111
• "really beautiful but i think i enjoyed reading the play more. Benedict Lombe's writing is quite literally magic." - Mezzanine user Kathleen Irvine (reviewing the West End production)
• "It was touching. It was funny. [The actors] both did an excellent job." - Theatregoer speaking to @cherrylanetheatre on Instagram

Who should see Shifters

• If you can't get enough of bittersweet love stories — such as the aforementioned stage shows Maybe Happy Ending, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), and Gruesome Playground Injuries, and films like Past Lives — Shifters might be for you as a new entry into the genre.
• Shifters showcases the talents of a Black writer, director, and cast, making it a great show for people who want to see Black stories thoughtfully told, with many lines and references clearly written with a Black audience in mind.
• Artists of all kinds will enjoy how many different disciplines are incorporated here. It's a stage show with dialogue that flows like poetry, movement sequences by Shelley Maxwell that wordlessly contain depths of emotion, and multiple pieces of visual art: Des's colorful paintings are tangible tokens that tie the characters together throughout the story.

Learn more about Shifters off Broadway

The story of Shifters travels well-trod ground, but it shifts the model by telling a proudly Black love story. The two performers shine, as does the ethereal design — literally.

Learn more and get Shifters tickets on New York Theatre Guide. Shifters is at the Cherry Lane Theatre through August 30.

Photo credit: Shifters off Broadway. (Photos by Marc J. Franklin)