Benedict Lombe’s Shifters to transfer to New York

Cherry Lane Theatre will host the North American premiere of Benedict Lombe’s Shifters, which is set to begin previews on 6 July ahead of an official opening on 15 July. Performances are scheduled through to 30 August.

Heather Agyepong and Daniel Ezra will star as Des and Dre, old friends with a deep connection. She got out, and he stayed, but she has returned for his grandmother’s wake, temporarily causing their past to come flooding back. 

WhatsOnStage described it as “a play unafraid to take its time, unfolding with careful tenderness.”

Agyepong reprises her Olivier-nominated performance, which she originated at London’s Bush Theatre, where the play performed in 2024 before transferring to the West End’s Duke of York Theatre later that year. Lynette Linton, who helmed those production, once again directs. 

Agyepong has been seen in School Girls; or The African Mean Girls Play. Ezra has appeared on Netflix’s All American. 

This New York transfer is being produced by Eleanor Lloyd Productions and Chuchu Nwagu Productions, in association with Sonia Friedman Productions.