The Lovers | Shake & Stir Theatre Co
All images: Joel Devereux
All images: Joel Devereux
As a lover of both Shakespeare and musicals, I was thrilled to hear that Shake & Stir were bringing The Lovers—a contemporary musical reimagining of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream—to Brisbane. Remixing Shakespeare’s classic text with a high-energy pop score and a bold modern attitude, this new musical by Laura Murphy promises humour, romance, and magical spectacle in equal measure. Yet, while many parts of this production do dazzle—including its talented cast, dynamic soundtrack, and design elements—they don’t always lock together to create the seamless theatrical experience I hoped for.
The show revolves around four young people absorbed in the highs and lows of love: Hermia (Loren Hunter), Helena (Natalie Abbott), Lysander (Mat Verevis), and Demetrius (Jason Arrow). Hermia and Lysander are totally head-over-heels for one another and determined to defy Hermia’s disapproving father, as well as the suitor he has selected for her: the equally-infatuated bad-boy Demetrius. Their plan to elope is soon thrown into chaos when Hermia’s best friend Helena—hopelessly in love with Demetrius and envious of her friend’s seemingly effortless ability to attract male attention—hatches a plan to win him over. All four lovers are drawn into the forest, where matchmaking fairies Oberon (Stellar Perry) and Puck (Jayme-Lee Hanekom) seize the opportunity to have fun and spread some of the good old-fashioned romance they believe modern youth have forgotten. Despite their good intentions, the result is a disastrous tangle of love potions and betrayal that threatens to leave the characters further from love than ever.
This whirlwind of romantic entanglements gives the cast plenty of opportunities to shine, and they each rise to the challenge. Hunter and Verevis do a great job of capturing Hermia and Lysander’s obsession with one another and deliver some laugh-out-loud moments of hormone-fuelled physical comedy. Abbott sparkles as Helena, imbuing her character’s desperation with both humour and vulnerability while delivering some absolutely knock-out vocal moments. Arrow brings an effective blend of swagger and intensity to Demetrius, and his blunt rejections of Helena’s advances drew audible gasps from the audience. Perry’s Oberon is equal parts commanding and charming, and shares genuine chemistry with Hanekom’s spirited and loveable Puck.
Yet for all the energy and commitment of the performances, the staging sometimes works against them. The production’s design is nothing if not ambitious, combining a maximalist pop-concert aesthetic with enchanted-forest fantasy. Colourful projected backdrops flash and ripple across the set, a giant neon heart and glittering disco ball dangle above the action at different intervals, the revolving stage is decked out with a wildflower garden and blossoming tree, and at one point two human-sized cages even appear. This bold and playful design is in keeping with the musical’s camp, heightened tone, and at its best, creates moments of genuine awe and delight. However, I found that the sheer volume and intensity of these effects—and their sometimes unpolished execution—tended to overwhelm rather than support the storytelling. A few dramaturgically unclear choices—including the performers’ use of handheld and stand-mounted microphones in conjunction with their headset mics at various points, without an evident reason or symbolic purpose—further pull focus from the story, leaving the heart of the show feeling a little lost amidst the wealth of moving parts and sensory spectacle.
All images: Joel Devereux
That said, The Lovers is undeniably packed with energy, talent, and creativity. It captures the joys and chaos of young love, and reminds us to never lose ourselves in the pursuit of romance. While some of the production’s design and dramaturgical choices didn’t land for me, I highly commend Shake & Stir for bringing a new musical—written and composed by an Australian artist—to Brisbane’s stages, and for continuing to find inventive ways to connect contemporary audiences to Shakespeare.
The Lovers plays at QPAC’s Playhouse Theatre until Sunday 5th of October 2025.
