‘Something is shifting between you – again.
Something terrifying
and comforting.’
Dre and Des. Dream and Destiny.
Young. Gifted. Black.
He stayed. She left.
Now, tragedy brings them crashing back into each other’s lives – carrying new secrets and old scars that threaten to rewrite the past and reshape the future.
Benedict Lombe’s play Shifters is a fierce, funny and intoxicating romance about the enduring power – and fragility – of memory and love. It was first performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2024, directed by Artistic Director Lynette Linton.
‘So good — laugh-out-loud funny and tears-to-the-eyes moving… Grounded in cultural specifics but universal in its appeal, Shifters is a mercurial, quick-witted yet poetic examination of love, memories and grief… a perceptive and exhilarating blend of fast, smart banter and philosophical sensitivity… Lombe’s touching, emotionally intelligent and contemporary black British love story is itself easy to fall in love with’
— The Times
‘A play with real heart and soul… Shifters builds its own distinct world and organically incorporates ideas around abuse, grief, family trauma and the Black body alongside its questions about love and fate’
— Guardian
‘Pretty much the perfect bittersweet rom-com… a fresh and delightful romantic drama, beautifully written and acted’
— Evening Standard
‘An exquisitely poetic romance… Lombe’s writing is suffused with wit and warmth… Shifters skillfully tackles everyday issues – from mental health to grief to class inequality – without ever laying them on too thick. At the heart of this drama is the connection between the two leads, at once electric and sweetly endearing’
— Telegraph
‘A bittersweet, woozy rom-com… smouldering and soulful… Lombe is a beautiful, nuanced and soulful writer and this is a romance overflowing with heart’
— Time Out
‘Exquisitely written… very funny, profoundly moving… the best new writing currently on the London stage’
— Arts Desk
‘Confident and compelling… a play unafraid to take its time, unfolding with careful tenderness… Shifters features one kiss in particular which you’re unlikely to see the equal of onstage this year’
— WhatsOnStage
