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About
Something is shifting between you – again.
Something terrifying
and comforting.'
Dre and Des. Young. Gifted. Black. He stayed. She left.
Years later, Des and Dre come crashing back into each other's lives, carrying new secrets and old scars. With the clock counting down until Des has to leave again, memories of their past collide with their present and they're forced to question if destiny has brought them back together for a reason.
Benedict Lombe's play Shifters is a fierce, funny and beautifully intoxicating celebration of the enduring power of memory and first love. It was performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2024, directed by Artistic Director Lynette Linton, before transferring to the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End.
Benedict Lombe's other plays include Lava, also for the Bush Theatre, which won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for Playwriting.
'So good - laugh-out-loud funny and tears-to-the-eyes moving... Lombe's touching, emotionally intelligent and contemporary black British love story is itself easy to fall in love with' - The Times
'The perfect bittersweet rom-com... a fresh and delightful romantic drama, beautifully written and acted' - Evening Standard
Something terrifying
and comforting.'
Dre and Des. Young. Gifted. Black. He stayed. She left.
Years later, Des and Dre come crashing back into each other's lives, carrying new secrets and old scars. With the clock counting down until Des has to leave again, memories of their past collide with their present and they're forced to question if destiny has brought them back together for a reason.
Benedict Lombe's play Shifters is a fierce, funny and beautifully intoxicating celebration of the enduring power of memory and first love. It was performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2024, directed by Artistic Director Lynette Linton, before transferring to the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End.
Benedict Lombe's other plays include Lava, also for the Bush Theatre, which won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for Playwriting.
'So good - laugh-out-loud funny and tears-to-the-eyes moving... Lombe's touching, emotionally intelligent and contemporary black British love story is itself easy to fall in love with' - The Times
'The perfect bittersweet rom-com... a fresh and delightful romantic drama, beautifully written and acted' - Evening Standard
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Reviews
"'Pretty much the perfect bittersweet rom-com... a fresh and delightful romantic drama, beautifully written and acted'"
Evening Standard
"'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
"'A gorgeous piece of storytelling... funny, grounded in authenticity and full of bittersweet tenderness... As only the third Black British woman to have a play in the West End, Lombe makes her mark as one of its most exciting and distinctive voices'"
The Stage
"'An epic romcom that has West End audiences swooning... inventive, emotionally astute writing... a love story with big themes woven through it... a brilliant addition to the growing body of hit West End plays by Black writers'"
Independent
"'From an educational standpoint, this play has plenty of scope for students. It's the perfect text if you're looking for contemporary duologues that show good range, with two strong, nuanced black characters [that] jump straight out of the page; they're witty, complex and the chemistry they share is palpable... there's also plenty of space for students to play with how they stage it'"
Drama & Theatre Magazine
"'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