REVIEW: The Lovers

Camp, comedic and catchy, you won’t have seen Shakespeare done quite like this before. Old Shakey’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream becomes a bit of a fever dream in The Lovers, an Australian original adaptation that blends the classic monologue with the power of a pop ballad.

The air was buzzing on arrival, and how could it not be with a gorgeous pink carpet and some famous faces. The pulsing, glowing heart on stage before the performance set the tone for the show to come.

Photo credit: Joel Devereux

Act 1 shines with quick crowd favourites Oberon (Stella Perry) and Puck (Jayme-Lee Hanekom), decked out in bedazzled outfits Chappell Roan would steal, with equally brilliant vocal chops. Helena (Natalie Abbott) delivered some of the best comedic timing, garnering laughs while wowing the audience with her vocals along the way. She is at times cringe in the way crush’s make us, making her rather relatable to a modern, internet age audience. There were a few vocal wobbles from the cast early on and a brief mic issue, but they didn’t detract from the fun the cast, and more importantly, the audience were having.

Act 2 stepped things up a notch, categorised by one word: More. More movement, more dynamics, more bam, pow, wow. Demetrius (Jason Arrow) was a standout with his f-boy, rich kid personality, shining bright every second he was on stage. He was a good contrast to the more boy-band flamboyance of Lysander (Mat Verevis), ready with the cringe dance moves of the pop eras we know and love. Their fight sequence – comedy gold! Hermia (Loren Hunter) drew laughs and gasps appearing deranged (shout out to whoever did her hair) as she finally found Lysander with Helena. After all, she’s not your perfect princess anymore. The cast of The Lovers are a very talented bunch, no faerie magic required.

The storm to wash away the effects of the flowers magic was a high point for me in the show, maximally utilising screens, sound and lighting to wonderful effect that really hit the moment home. The emotions were high and Stella Perry was holding court on that stage.

The band kept the show moving throughout with its power pop arrangement. Hats off as well to the lighting designers too for the effects they managed to create to bring us into the story. Combined with the set pieces and costumes the stage

was a visual delight.

Photo credit: Joel Devereux

Wrapping pop music around the bones of Shakespeare’s writing makes for an enjoyable transition between worlds. It’s not an easy thing to fit in amongst one of Shakespeare best plays, and Laura Murphy has some great hits in this show. Whilst at times I wished the lyrics were a touch cleverer than literal, it’s undeniably pop to its core and will satisfy fans of the genre. As a pop loving theatre goer, I enjoyed all the nods to the pop culture moments of the industry in the costuming, choreography and staging of particular songs and scenes. If pop is your jam and you love a soliloquy or two this Midsummer Night’s Dream adaption is a fun night out full of confetti and confessions. Congrats to the cast and crew for a bright opening night.

4 out of 5 Stars

The Lovers is on now at Theatre Royal Sydney for tickets click here