THE LOVERS ★★★★½

Playhouse, QPAC, until October 5; Theatre Royal, Sydney from November 5

Even by the generous standards of opening-night audiences, the ecstatic reception for Laura Murphy’s The Lovers was telling. In week three of Brisbane Festival we may have the crowd-pleaser audiences have been craving. Seems like the kids are down to love, after all.

Expectations for the show, a high-gloss, pop-music retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream , were high, given its highly praised 2022 debut for Bell Shakespeare in Sydney. Brisbane hit-makers Shake & Stir have mounted an all-new production with a star-studded line-up, albeit retaining original cast members Natalie Abbott (Helena) and Stellar Perry (Oberon), both standouts.

The Lovers fuses Shakespeare with original pop songs by La

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