Shifters, Bush theatre, review: an exquisitely poetic romance between two lonely souls
In 2021, Benedict Lombe’s debut play, Lava, marked her out as a talent to watch. Commissioned by the Bush Theatre in response to the murder of George Floyd, an autobiographical monologue about diaspora and black identity centred on a British-Congolese woman who receives a disturbing letter from the British Passport Office. It went on to win Lombe the Susan Smith Blackburn prize.
Shifters, a time-hopping romance, is her second play to premiere on the Bush stage – and an altogether different prospect. It’s been eight years since Dre (Tosin Cole) and Des (Heather Agyepong) last saw each other, but when they reunite at the funeral of Dre’s grandmother, the pair find themselves caught between their present and past lives. The clock is ticking before Des has to catch a flight, but what has brought them back together again?
Their journey from meeting at the age of 16 in a philosophy class to estrangement at 32 is pieced together through a series of flashbacks woven amongst the present-day scenes (not always seamlessly). What ends up unfolding is about much more than romantic love; rather, amid grief and loss, two lonely souls have found a connection they keep coming back to.
Perhaps this makes Shifters sound sombre, but it is genuinely very funny. Lombe’s writing, suffused with wit and warmth, is exquisitely poetic at times. She’s at her best in those early scenes where the sharp, quick-fire verbal jousting between Cole’s Dre and Agyepong’s Des fizzes and snaps while revealing something deeper bubbling underneath.
Dre, after all, is at the funeral of the woman who raised him, and beneath his laidback humour are flashes of intense vulnerability. Cole, best known for starring as one of Jodie Whittaker’s companions in Doctor Who, is superb at finding those moments and letting the mask slip amid the laughs.
Less compelling is the decision to underpin the drama with the concept of cosmic fate (Dre and Des are short for Dream and Destiny). Elaborate speeches on “big ideas” feel full of hackneyed old tropes – a shame when the rest of the script feels so fresh.
Nevertheless, director Lynette Linton is savvy to forefront the acting and script in her staging, applying only the lightest of touches with the set design. Shard-like lights, suggesting memories perhaps, frame the stage and shift colours to place us in different time periods or moods. Warm oranges effectively shift to oppressively stark whites for a scene in which Des becomes overwhelmed by a panic attack.
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. It’s a promising work from an up-and-comer still honing her craft.
Until March 30; bushtheatre.co.uk
