Bell Shakespeare presents the world premiere of The Lovers, a pop musical written by young Australian writer and composer Laura Murphy reimagining Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a fresh and infectious original score.
On now at Sydney Opera House until 20 November 2022, the production features some of the best voices in Australia’s musical theatre scene, including Natalie Abbott, Blake Appelqvist, Monique Sallé, Brittanie Shipway and Jerrod Smith, alongside 2020 finalist of The Voice Stellar Perry making her musical theatre debut.
Laura Murphy, who is one of Australia’s most exciting playwrights at the forefront of composing new Australian work, has been developing this project for the past 12 years. The Lovers gives audiences a fresh perspective on Shakespeare’s classic tale, exploring the magic and mishaps of romantic love, with original pop songs sung by the cast and accompanied by a live band. The production is directed by award-winning director Shaun Rennie (Rent, Baby Doll) with a bright and vibrant aesthetic realised by set and costume designer Marg Horwell, who was behind the design of the recent critically acclaimed production of The Picture of Dorian Grey at Sydney Theatre Company.
Writer Laura Murphy said: “The Lovers has been my passion project for the past 12 years and it’s an absolute dream for me to see it finally coming to life. I am so blown away by the talent of our cast and crew who have worked tirelessly on this show, and we’re all so excited for people to finally see it!
“For this production, I wanted to take Shakespeare’s text and look at how it relates to us now, by reinventing it with a contemporary voice through original lyrics and a modern pop score. Our infatuation with romantic love began long before Shakespeare was writing about it 400 years ago, and The Lovers explores how those narratives have either evolved or remain the same today.”
Bell Shakespeare Artistic Director Peter Evans said: “We’ve been looking for a musical project for a while now, but it had to be the right one. When I saw one of the first workshops of Laura’s work, I knew we had found something special, and I think it will be around for a long time.”
Tickets for The Lovers are now on sale at https://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/the-lovers
The Lovers
The Sydney Opera House
23 October – 20 November 2022
