Bell Shakespeare announces first cast members for world premiere of new Australian contemporary musical, The Lovers

Sydney, Australia: Bell Shakespeare today announced the first two cast members of the upcoming production and 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. Presented at Sydney Opera House from 23 October – 20 November 2022, the production will feature 2020 finalist of The Voice Stellar Perry making her musical theatre debut as Oberon and Monique Sallé, who recently appeared as Maureen in Rent at Sydney Opera House, as Puck.

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 will give 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 will be 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:

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 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.

I’m so delighted to announce Stellar and Monique as Oberon and Puck. This is a totally new venture into theatre for Stellar, but I couldn’t imagine anyone better in the role and she has a powerhouse voice that’s going to blow everyone away. Monique Is like my muse, I cast her in the last two original musicals I was working on that were disrupted by COVID so it’s fantastic to have her involved with The Lovers.

Bell Shakespeare Artistic Director Peter Evans:

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 really special, and I think it will be around for a long time.

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Season Details

Venue: Sydney Opera House
Date: 23 Oct– 20 Nov 2022

For more information click HERE