Award-winning actors and musicians Idris Elba, Little Simz and Danai Gurira have joined the producing team behind the North American premiere of Shifters, the acclaimed play by British-Zambian playwright Benedict Lombe, marking another significant moment for Black storytelling on the global stage.
Elba, whose parents are from Sierra Leone and Ghana, joins British-Nigerian artist Little Simz and Zimbabwean-born Gurira in supporting the production as it makes its United States debut.
The production will begin previews on July 6 before officially opening on July 15 at Cherry Lane Theatre in New York, where it will run until August 30. The play arrives in the United States following sold-out runs at Bush Theatre and Duke of York’s Theatre in London.
The three internationally acclaimed artists join the producing team alongside Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Chuchu Nwagu Productions and Sonia Friedman Productions.
For Elba, the move to New York represents more than a theatrical transfer—it is an opportunity to introduce Black British storytelling to a wider audience.
“Seeing the profound impact Shifters had on London audiences was a reminder of how universal this story truly is,” Elba said in a statement. “Benedict Lombe has crafted a masterpiece of modern romance, and I am proud to see it cross the Atlantic.”
Little Simz said the production had a profound emotional impact on her when she first watched it during its original Bush Theatre run.
“I was moved to tears by this play,” she said. “I knew I had to be involved when it moved to the West End, and now I’m so excited that New York gets to experience this incredible story.”
Gurira, who was born in Zimbabwe before moving to the United States as a child, said she hopes the production will help elevate more stories from across the African diaspora.
“As a Zimbabwean-American playwright, I am passionate about championing stories of the Black Diaspora,” Gurira said. “Shifters is a beautiful and complex exploration of Black love. How rarely do we get to see Black love stories? It is a gem, and I hope it will propel more stories from across the Black Diaspora to be told on global platforms.”
Written by Lombe, Shifters tells the story of Dre and Des—two young Black lovers whose lives diverge before fate reunites them years later. As they confront old wounds, hidden truths and the memories that shaped them, the play explores love, identity, belonging and the passage of time.
The New York production stars Heather Agyepong, who reprises her Olivier Award-nominated performance as Des, opposite Daniel Ezra, best known for his role in the television series All American, as Dre.
Direction comes from BAFTA-nominated theatre director Lynette Linton, whose tenure as Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre helped establish it as one of London’s leading homes for contemporary Black and diverse voices.
The production’s move from London to New York reflects the growing international appetite for stories centred on Black experiences and highlights the increasing global reach of African and diasporic creatives in theatre.
Shifters begins previews on July 6 and runs through August 30 at Cherry Lane Theatre in New York.
