British actor Idris Elba said “talent is talent – black, white or indifferent” as he praised the relatability of romantic stage play Shifters after its debut on the West End.
The play, which transferred from London’s Bush Theatre with Heather Agyepong and Tosin Cole reprising their roles, will run for nine weeks until October 12 at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London.
Playwright Benedict Lombe became the third black British woman to have a production in the West End after the opening night on Wednesday.
The Luther actor is co-producing the play, alongside Love Island host Maya Jama and Mercury Prize and Brit-winning rapper Little Simz.
Elba told the PA news agency: “Talent is talent – black, white or indifferent, and it’s really good to just get people into the theatre and see new writing works like this in a way that actually can be relatable.
“All love stories are sort of subjective, but with this one, I think there’s an attempt to make it as welcoming to different types of people.”
Elba said his hope is that young people come to the theatre as it marked an “amazing experience” for him.
“You can’t look at your phone. You’ve got to pay attention, and you’re going to see some beautiful writing and see some beautiful acting,” he said.
“I just love theatre. My career started in theatre. I think it’s important that young audiences get to the theatre.
“But this play, I connected to the writing, the writing’s incredible.
“I love Heather and I love Tosin, they’re amazing actors. Lynette (Linton) is a great director.”
Elba added that he felt “really proud” to be a part of the play.
The production is billed as an “epic and universal love story about the enduring power of memory and first love” between characters Des and Dre.
It follows the “young, gifted, black” characters who, after years apart, “come crashing back into each other’s lives, carrying new secrets and old scars”.
Writer Ms Lombe told PA it was director Lynette Linton who had called her and “wouldn’t let me not write it”.
“We were talking about the lack of black British love stories and how it felt like there was a real gap in theatre and I think it speaks to Lynette Linton’s vision in terms of being a real visionary in the theatre landscape and being able to see what people weren’t getting, and being able to trust writers to create that, and allowing us to dream and make the play whatever we wanted to make,” she said.
Ms Linton said she hoped the buzz around black storytelling is “sustained”.
“People talk about pivotal moments, people talk about a renaissance,” she said.
“It needs to continue, so that when you ask us in five years time, we’re not still going, oh there’s only one story, or there’s only two stories.
“So what I hope, and what I hope the British legacy is as well, is that we’re changing the canon of British theatre.
“So when we think about British theatre, we’re thinking about Shifters… instead of just thinking about things like Shakespeare.”
