SHIFTERS at the Cherry Lane Theatre is everything magical about live theater and the human imagination: utilizing only two actors, lighting, and some black boxes, it creates an entire world with a nuanced love story for 100 engaging minutes.
This says much about the stellar acting ability of Heather Agyepong and Daniel Ezra, who share a history on stage familiar to so many people: young love impacted by uncertainty, hesitancy, changing life circumstances, other people, personal problems, work, and family. In other words, their relationship is constantly shifting over their adult years, and they must navigate these waves for their love to endure. Originally presented in London’s West End, this is a tale about Dre (Ezra) and Des (Agyepong), who were the only two Black kids in their class near Crewe. Whether it was destiny or chance that brought them together, the ultimate question is whether they have the right stuff to stay together. Their perceptions of each other shift over time, and even their memories shift. The character Des says “We can’t help but make meaning out of what we know in the present…and the meaning we make of our lives changes how we remember things.” The play is told alternatively from Des’s and Dre’s perspectives, so we can mine multiple viewpoints as the two evolve.
Change is necessary in relationships to avoid stagnation, and change means shifting expectations and perspectives, making tough choices, evolving together or growing apart, showing up for each other, remaining for each other, or shifting for each other. Brilliantly layered, this play bounces between time periods indicated by the changed lighting, and even shifts a natural chronology. Similar to Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche’s book “Americanah” in that the two main characters who love each other spend years coming together then breaking apart, Shifters makes us ponder what makes people return to each other, or leave, or stay, or falter from insecurity or uncertainty. When Des counters “You didn’t ask me to stay,” she doesn’t mean it literally, she means it in couple’s shorthand: being vulnerable, risking rejection, and fighting for what you want.
Written by Benedict Lombe, Directed by Lynette Linton, and produced by Idris Elba for 22 Summers, Little Simz, and Danai Gurira, this is a play that delves into the two hearts of a relationship. Don’t miss it through the end of August while it’s at the newly revamped Cherry Lane Theatre on quaint Commerce Street in the west village. With 167 seats for an intimate experience, Shifters is truly a New York summer experience, and the two actors give the show their all.
Cherry Lane Theater
38 Commerce Street
New York, NY 10014
For more info on the Cherry Lane Theatre, revitalized by the indie film production company A24, read this New York Times article.
