Review: Shifters (Duke Of York's Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2024 is shaping up to be a great year for the consistently impressive Bush Theatre. Not only did this intimate producing space win an Olivier award for the third consecutive year, it also enjoyed a West End transfer of its acclaimed production Red Pitch. Following suit is a quick transfer of an acclaimed. sell-out play from earlier this year as Shifters moves in to the Duke of York’s Theatre for a limited run. With a show that already comes highly recommended, would its transfer to a much larger space have the same impact as the initial run?

Written by Benedict Lombe, Shifters tells the love story of Des and Dre across time and space. Caught between memory and reality, we meet them both as teenagers and again as they reconnect later on in their 30s, the pair attempt to navigate the shifting borders that threatens to rewrite their past and reshape their future.

Lombe’s writing beautifully highlights the various feelings that come through complicated love and all of the obstacles that arise during its course. Shifters also deals with themes of loss with both Des and Dre dealing with their own personal struggles as they come to terms with the losses they have suffered in their lives. This balance of two of the biggest aspects of everyday life plays out together in sync, bringing new depths to each theme. Lombe’s writing is effortless in its approach with a naturalistic element creating believability in their dialogue. Inflicted with humour and full of cultural references, there is a real beauty behind writing that makes you laugh while simultaneously tugging at your heartstrings.

It is in the rich exposition of both Des and Dre’s characters where Shifters truly shines. Full of depth, their personalities, beliefs, hopes and ambitions are explored in great detail, allowing an audience to get to know them both and invest in them both as individuals and as they navigate their complicated and changing relationship. The ability to relate and resonate is what has made Shifters such a resounding success with its audience.

Lynette Linton’s direction ensures no intimacy is lost in transferring to the far larger space of the Duke of York’s Theatre with on-stage seating, bringing the action closer to a West End audience. Though being a bit too far away from the stage may mean you lose impact of connection slightly, this is a story that works well on every level – while it is still intimate in nature, playing to multi levels of the theatre gives Linton’s direction new challenges of which she always excels. With incredible attention to detail, both performers on stage embody their characters and convey their actions flawlessly, such is the quality of both Lombe’s writing and Linton’s direction.

This two-hander play sees Heather Agyepong as Des and Tosin Cole and Dre square off brilliantly, with both the similarities and differences in the characters giving both actors plenty of scope to work with. Tosin Cole commands the stage with his charismatic and complex portrayal of Dre, letting the audience in to every intricacy of his character in an exceptional performance. Heather Agyepong matches this high quality easily as Des jumps back into Dre’s life with a captivating look at what she goes through as a Black woman, with one particularly powerful speech allowing Agyepong to deliver a masterclass performance.

Shifters is also a show that both looks and sounds fantastic, with Tony Gayle’s sound design and a crucial use of music throughout creating an atmospheric setting. It is the mix of Alex Berry’s set design and Neil Austin’s lighting design that really wows, however. With ever-changing lighting, the mood on the stage and around the theatre is reflected through this subtle yet incredibly clever design elements, creating a visually stimulating and enthralling experience that adds to the narrative of the show.

At one point in Shifters, Agyepong as Des says “It’s a powerful thing to be seen” and that reflects the experience seeing this show completely as the powerful and poignant nature of the story had no trouble connecting with its adoring audience. With a degree of authenticity, the story between the two characters captivates throughout with the mixture of joy and sorrow along with culture and heritage culminating in the very essence of humanity. Though I imagine it would have been even more powerful to experience this in the more intimate Bush Theatre, the story still shines on this larger stage thanks to its exceptional writing, direction and production value. – though it is the phenomenal performances from both Agyepong and Cole that make this such a triumphant piece of theatre.

Shifters plays at the Duke of York’s Theatre until 12th October. Tickets available here

Photos by Marc Brenner