Overview

'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... 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 'Alive and unpredictable... every moment feels on the pulse, humour blowing away sentimentality... I can't remember being in the theatre when each new twist was accompanied by so many squeals, exasperated sighs and urgings-on' — Observer

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Reviews

'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 * 'Alive and unpredictable... every moment feels on the pulse, humour blowing away sentimentality... I can't remember being in the theatre when each new twist was accompanied by so many squeals, exasperated sighs and urgings-on' * Observer * '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 * 'Glorious, tender and profound' * iNews * 'Heartwarming and devastating... Generating instant audience investment and a complex couple to root for, Shifters is an affecting romcom full of sharply observed behaviours' * Reviews Hub * 'Sharp, fast-moving and authentic in its characterisation... a tightly structured, intelligently written play, devastating in moments of laid-bare emotion... A gorgeous, natural piece of writing from an undeniable talent, Shifters will break hearts, piece them back together again' * All That Dazzles * 'Fiercely sharp and deeply moving... heart-wrenchingly powerful... a theatrical triumph' * Theatre and Tonic * 'It's heart-wrenching. It's unapologetically romantic and is the black love story that's been missing from the stage' * London Theatre Reviews * 'A deeply perceptive piece from an undeniably talented writer' * The Spy in the Stalls * 'A powerful exploration of identity, destiny, and romance... a poignant piece of theatre... the kind of love story you cannot help but root for and the soul connection many crave' * Broadway World * 'Dazzling... An absolutely intoxicating piece of new writing' * The Arts Despatch * 'Clever, funny and deeply touching' * The Upcoming *

'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 * 'Alive and unpredictable... every moment feels on the pulse, humour blowing away sentimentality... I can't remember being in the theatre when each new twist was accompanied by so many squeals, exasperated sighs and urgings-on' * Observer * '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 * 'Distils the giddy wonder of falling in love for the first time... a tender, cosmic and cleverly unpredictable love story that will leave you wishing for a sequel' * The Stage * 'Heartwarming and devastating... Generating instant audience investment and a complex couple to root for, Shifters is an affecting romcom full of sharply observed behaviours' * Reviews Hub * 'Sharp, fast-moving and authentic in its characterisation... a tightly structured, intelligently written play, devastating in moments of laid-bare emotion... A gorgeous, natural piece of writing from an undeniable talent, Shifters will break hearts, piece them back together again' * All That Dazzles * 'Fiercely sharp and deeply moving... heart-wrenchingly powerful... a theatrical triumph' * Theatre and Tonic * 'It's heart-wrenching. It's unapologetically romantic and is the black love story that's been missing from the stage' * London Theatre Reviews * 'A deeply perceptive piece from an undeniably talented writer' * The Spy in the Stalls * 'A powerful exploration of identity, destiny, and romance... a poignant piece of theatre... the kind of love story you cannot help but root for and the soul connection many crave' * Broadway World * 'Dazzling... An absolutely intoxicating piece of new writing' * The Arts Despatch *

Author Information

Benedict Lombe is a British Congolese writer and theatre-maker based in London. Her plays include: Shifters (Bush Theatre London & West End, 2024) and Lava (Bush Theatre, 2021). Lava, her debut play, won Best Performance Piece at the 2022 Offies (Off West End Awards) and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2022. Lombe also won the Book and Lyrics Recognition Award at the 2021 Black British Theatre Awards.

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