If Six and & Juliet had a baby, it would be The Lovers. This energetic and highly entertaining reimagining of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream opened on Wednesday night at Sydney’s Theatre Royal to thunderous applause and standing ovations.
Giving us “love, pop and Shakespeare” The Lovers is the brainchild of the very talented Laura Murphy (Zombie! The Musical) and what she has created is a truly original, modern pop musical which I suspect will live on with a cult following in the musical theatre zeitgeist long past its current season.
The Lovers is fresh and new – something rare in a theatrical landscape dominated by revivals. Filled with catchy, pop earworms (which were buzzing around in my head long after I left the theatre), this production is so refreshing and proves that Australia can produce high-quality new works, with broad appeal, that stand up against anything playing on a Broadway or West End stage.
One of the strengths of this particular production is its small and exceptional young Australian cast. Stellar Perry (recently seen in Jesus Christ Superstar) is a red and pink sequined Oberon, and Jayme-Lee Hanekon (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and The Book of Mormon) is a mischievous Puck. This dynamic duo narrate the show, creating chaos and mayhem aplenty whilst drawing the audience into their world. This pairing are pure, camp joy – tinkering shamelessly with the lovers and bringing both cheek and sparkle to the production.
Central to the show are the four lovers – Helena, Demetrius, Hermia, and Lysander, who fall prey to Puck and Oberon’s mischievous schemes. Helena, played by Natalie Abbot (Muriel’s Wedding and Ride The Cyclone), is hilariously funny with excellent comic timing. Jason Arrow (Hamilton) injects great energy into the flawed Demetrius, while fresh-faced Mat Verevis’ Lysander exudes naive, impulsive innocence. Completing the quartet is powerhouse Loren Hunter (Seymour in Six) as Hermia. Hunter possesses incredible vocals, impressive acting skills, and is definitely one to watch. There’s a star vehicle out there with her name on it – you heard it here first.
Where the four Lovers really shine is in the second act, where they skillfully handle Shakespeare’s classic dialogue, delivering it smoothly and with purpose while keeping it fresh, relevant, and funny.
The design of The Lovers is visually striking and powerful. The shift from Athens’s monochrome palette at the start to a vibrant, colour-rich forest is remarkable. Flexible moving set pieces and the use of multiple levels work beautifully with nightclub-style lighting to create a stunning, glittering, and intense visual spectacle. At times, I felt almost overwhelmed by sensory input, and Wednesday night’s opening audience didn’t want it to end.
With a healthy dose of modern dating references (swipe left, anyone?) The Lovers takes the classic tangled romance of Shakespeare, injects modern pop style and language, colour, sparkle and humour, and asks what does it mean today to be in love, to want love, to be confused by it?
The Lovers has a strictly limited run in Sydney – do not, under any circumstances, miss your chance to see this fresh, original, modern musical and support a truly unique Australian work.
The Lovers with Book, Music and Lyrics by Laura Murphy, produced by Shaken and Stirred Productions with John Frost for Crossroads Live, plays at Sydney’s Theatre Royal through 16 November 2025.
The Lovers
Book, Music and Lyrics by Laura Murphy
Produced by Shake & Stir Theatre Co and John Frost for Crossroads Live
Theatre Royal, Sydney
Review by Damien Barrett @_helloshoppers
In his past lives, Damien was a drag queen and musical theatre actor. He made his stage debut as a fat cow in a school production of Joseph in 1984. He holds a BA with a major in drama from the University of Newcastle. He is completely obsessed with musical theatre – especially Broadway divas.
Since relocating to Sydney at the beginning of 2024, he attends every musical he can get to and lives with his partner and grumpy 12-year-old poodle.
His claim to fame is that he once met Patti Lupone in New York and she was nice to him.