A two person show with intense, electrifying chemistry, destined to be together, and the world keeps shifting them towards each other.
After starting out at the Bush Theatre earlier this year with great success and fantastic reviews, Shifters has now opened for a run at The Duke of York’s Theatre. Lynette Linton has directed an intense romance play that leaves the audience begging for more. There are only two characters: Des, the strong minded, ambitious, independent woman played by Heather Agyepong and Dre, the lovable, witty and spontaneous character played by Tosin Cole.
The pair jump in and out of the past and present, showing how their strong friendship to love blossomed and how they got to the present day. The transitions from scene to scene are connected by lines that were said in the present, that were also said in the past to move into the flashback. Which is a clever writing choice. The audience get a genuine familiarity with the characters, and this comes from them breaking the fourth wall. You get to know their struggles, their good memories and what they are hiding. There are a lot of unexpected turns, and the audience are kept on the edge of their seats. By the end all the cards are on the table and are left wondering what happens next for them?
The most captivating aspect of the piece was this familiarity previously mentioned that the characters build with the audience, done almost effortlessly by the pair and through a very well written play. This is achieved through their asides with the audience and how you watch them develop into the characters they become in the present day. A very clear character arc. Des, when you see her as a 16-year-old holds back her opinions, Dre catapults into her life with his confidence, spontaneity and encourages her to set her bright mind free. These characteristics are clear from the way that Agyepong and Cole portray the characters. Ayepong as Des starts out outspoken, argumentative and you can see from her movements that she holds back, there’s more to her. Cole, as Dre, comfortably slouches showing his confidence, observes Des and his facial expressions show his interest, he sees how much more there is to her. The actors show the audience a pair of soul mates who extenuate each other’s colours, even if sometimes they don’t fuse perfectly together.
The lighting was also a complimenting element of the production that helped you understand the characters’ minds. For instance, when Des meets Dre the lights shine a yellow colour, which portrays a spark of interest. When they argue in one of the scenes the lights slowly, one by one, turn off, this comes across as though their relationship at that point in time is breaking down. There are so many intriguing moments in the show where the lighting plays a huge role in showing the mood or foreshadowing what is to come. This can be interpreted in many ways and audience members would have many different perspectives from the lighting. This is a unique element of the show and gives the piece its own style by giving the lighting its own voice.
The sound was flippant and sometimes took you away from the piece for a second. There were parts that worked and parts that were not understandable. For instance, Des plays a song through her phone while Dre is watching her. The audience can hear the music coming from her phone, this shows Dre’s perspective. Then, the sound fills the whole of the theatre (playing from the speakers) this shows a shift to Des’s perspective. This was interesting and makes you wonder whether the title ‘Shifters’ comes from how the audience shifts from perspective to perspective. However, there were many muffled sounds that came from the speakers, that made you wonder why they were playing and if they were intended. There were also what seemed to be gusts of wind sounds in some scenes, the intention of this choice was not clear.
‘Shifters’ clearly displays a beautiful and real development of love between two strong and different characters. They come from different countries, backgrounds and were brought up in different ways, but they fuse together into something vibrant and stunning. Showing the audience the reality of love, the good and the ugly. You are sat there wanting more, because it is real and it’s not a musical fairytale. Their future is just as clear as the audience’s future, it’s not. That’s what gives this show its authenticity and power.