The Lovers: A Musical

After premiering The Lovers with Bell Shakespeare Company at the Sydney Opera House in 2022, Laura Murphy (Zombie! The Musical, The Dismissal: An Extremely Serious Musical Comedy) has teamed up with Brisbane’s Shake & Stir Theatre Co to bring some ‘Love and Pop and Shakespeare’ to Brisbane Festival. Stellar Perry (The Voice, The Rocky Horror Show) returns as the magical Oberon, and Natalie Abbott (Muriel’s Wedding The Musical) reprises her role as Helena, but the rest of the lovers are the all-fresh Loren Hunter (SIX The Musical) as Hermia, Jason Arrow (Hamilton) as Demetrius, Mat Verevis (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) as Lysander, and Jayme-Lee Hanekom (Dusty The Musical – In Concert) as a very cheeky Puck. On opening night, understudy Jenni Little jumped in to portray Hermia – and she was absolutely terrific. This is a great chance for Queensland audiences to enjoy musical talent of an extremely high calibre in a fun interpretation of Shakespeare’s favourite comedy about mismatched lovers and mistaken matchmakers. The opening night crowd was a mix of age groups, perhaps outnumbered by sharply dressed teenagers, and they absolutely loved every note of every song. Director, Nick Skubij (Frankenstein, Fourteen) has created another energetic and engaging production. The arrangements and orchestrations are also by Laura Murphy, with musical direction by Heidi Maguire leading her fabulous live band throughout, adding more vitality to the stage.

I like the way that Laura Murphy does not condescend and assumes a love – not a loathing – of Shakespeare. And there are no modern gadgets in the props list. The costumes are a clever nod to the Elizabethan in denim and lace (design by Isabel Hudson). The script is streamlined, but only cuts the pop culture asides of Shakespeare’s day because she can replace them with our own modern references (Taylor Swift and others of her ilk get a passing mention) and Elizabethan ‘Easter eggs’ that modern audiences will love. So, gone is the in-house comedy play-within-a-play and the Rude Mechanicals, replaced with sexy pop tunes to help tell the tale and create the on-stage magic. Our four lovers are lost in the woods and the potion administered by Oberon and Puck ironically allows them to see more clearly how love affects their being. There is a lot of comedy and many Millennial in-jokes about teenage dating rituals. Oberon asks the audience if they remember a time “when we didn’t have to swipe right” and challenges young lovers to be DTL (Down to Love) instead of DTF (I am not hip to the current sexting trends and had to look it up!) And the ultimate message to look beyond the haze of romance to respect yourself first is refreshing. 

But before that denouement, we have a delightful mix-tape of cracking pop tunes that are expertly performed by a very talented cast, with choreography by Yvette Lee. I love Hermia’s defiant ‘Perfect Little Princess’, Helena’s anxious ‘Chasing My Tail’, Lysander’s in-love-with-love ‘Lysander is in Love’ and Demetrius’s ‘What I Cannot Have’ which perfectly portrays the teenage boy’s shy arrogance, still longing for the love he knows he cannot possess. Puck and Oberon have the most fun with great songs like ‘Down to Love’ and ‘The Magic Touch’, with a magical ‘Euphoria’ by Oberon. There is a gentle ‘queering’ of the lead magical mythologicals which is really fun, as Stellar’s character is really a blend of Titania and Oberon, and has a special love interest that is not a donkey! The script is racy in parts, consistent with the young lovers and how they feel they should be behaving. I hope the smattering of Anglo Saxon does not deter some because this could be a really fun family outing.

Laura Murphy’s love of the original is made infectious by the brilliant, sexy and engaging cast. They may even inspire some to go back to the original material for more clues on the lovers and their fate. It’s interesting to discover that Oberon, the Faery Prince by Ben Jonson (around 1611) included designs by Inigo Jones and introduced stage effects that we all know and expect in the theatre now. Our own wizards today are lighting designer, Trent Suidgeest, and sound and video designer, David Bergman, who wield their own alchemy to add to the enjoyment of this musical. Following its season at Brisbane Festival, The Lovers goes on tour. Don’t miss out!

Beth Keehn

Photographs by Joel Devereax

Find out more: theloversmusical.com.au