There’s a particular thrill when a show strides confidently into the theatre, grabs Shakespeare by the collar, and says: we’re doing this our way. That’s the energy that Laura Murphy’s The Lovers unleashes at QPAC. It’s a reclamation, not just a reimagination, of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Here, the women wield the power, the men wear their vulnerabilities openly, and the result is a gut-busting, heart-thumping pop musical that feels as if &Juliet had stumbled across Kath & Kim on a night out and decided to throw a party with more glitter than Reuben Kaye’s dressing room.
Of course, opening nights rarely go off without a hitch, but this one came with a twist straight out of the script. On the morning of the premiere, Loren Hunter woke feeling under the weather and had to make the heartbreaking call to step aside.
That left the role of Hermia in the hands of Jenni Little, who, according to Shake & Stir’s Artistic Director Ross Balbuziente, “had never run the entire show before. Let alone put the costumes on, or done all of the things, but we are incredibly proud of her.”
And my god, what a performance it was. Vocally, she was note-perfect. Clear, strong, and completely in command of Murphy’s pop score. But more than the technical brilliance, she embodied Hermia. Every move, every glance, every beat of comedy felt lived-in, as if she’d been carrying the role for months, instead of hours.
Knowing now that she had never run the show in full makes it all the more staggering. The kind of theatre magic you can’t plan for.
As Lysander, Mat Verevis is a shot of pure energy. From the moment he steps on stage, he has the audience completely in awe of his charm. There is such an ease to the way he performs – silly and playful one second, then delivering a song that fills the theatre the next. He never loses that spark, and it makes his Lysander both ridiculous and completely loveable.
Jason Arrow has a different challenge. Coming in with Alexander Hamilton attached to his name, it takes a little while to see past the founding father we knew and loved and into Demetrius. He brings real weight to the role, though, switching easily between arrogance, humour, and vulnerability. His presence on stage is strong, and he plays off the rest of the lovers with ease.
Natalie Abbott gives a gutsy turn as Helena. She plays the frustration for laughs in one moment, then lands straight into sincerity in the next. Her vocals are a real highlight. Big, emotional, and always right on point. Abbott makes Helena’s struggles funny, raw, and relatable all at once.
Jayme-Lee Hanekom and Stellar Perry bring a very different kind of energy as Puck and Oberon. They work as a true comedy duo and bounce off each other’s playfulness with both a childlike charm with a cheeky and adult core.
Hanekom never seems to stop moving, fizzing with energy, while Perry cuts through with a strong voice and plenty of attitude. The two together give the show some of its lightest and funniest moments.
Laura Murphy’s writing is what makes The Lovers click. The songs are catchy and sharp, and the jokes feel organic rather than forced. At its heart, it’s still Shakespeare, but Murphy twists it just enough to make it feel cheeky, current, and unmistakably Australian.
The behind-the-scenes team matches that same energy. Nick Skubij’s direction is the driving force. Big, fast, and full of heart, but never at the expense of clarity. Trent Suidgeest’s lighting keeps the stage alive, bouncing from pulsing nightclub neon to soft, hazy washes in an instant. It’s bold, playful, and constantly surprising.
Isabel Hudson’s work on both set and costume ties everything together with style and precision. Her colourful, eclectic designs give the production its striking personality, while still allowing space for the performers to shine.
Every outfit and piece of staging feels considered and immaculate. It’s Hudson’s fingerprints that cement The Lovers as Shake & Stir’s most ambitious and polished production to date.
I’ll admit I was a little nervous heading into this review, having only the night before been in Melbourne covering MJ The Musical and wondering how not to draw comparisons in production scale. But The Lovers more than holds its own.
It is a pop-fuelled triumph that proves Australian theatre can shine just as brightly as Broadway or the West End. The Lovers takes the essence of something classic and defined, like Shakespeare, and mixes it like a high-class cocktail. It shifts the balance of power onto the side of women and lets the men unravel.
On a night where so much could have gone wrong, everything seemingly went spectacularly to plan. And Jenni Little’s last-minute debut as Hermia was the kind of fearless, unforgettable performance that becomes theatre lore.
The Lovers runs to 5 October 2025 at the Playhouse, QPAC as part of Brisbane Festival.
It then transfers to Theatre Royal Sydney from 31 October to 16 November.
Tickets: https://qpac.com.au/whats-on/2025/bf-shakestir-the-lovers
Website: https://shakeandstir.com.au/mainstage/the-lovers
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/atqpac/ and https://www.instagram.com/shakeandstir/
Photo credits: Joel Devereux
