When Bell Shakespeare premiered The Lovers in 2022, it was clear that Laura Murphy is a hugely talented musical theatre composer and lyricist, and one to watch.

She had been developing the show for over a decade before it finally hit the stage, having started working on it while still at school as a way to introduce a new, younger audience to the joys of The Bard.

Stellar Perry as Oberon in The Lovers. Photo © Joel Devereux

Based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Lovers examines the theme of love by turning a contemporary, TikTok-versed lens on the four Athenian lovers, Demetrius, Helena, Hermia and Lysander, together with the fairy king Oberon and his servant Puck. (Other characters including the Popular Mechanicals, Bottom and Titania have been culled.)

Murphy uses dialogue from Shakespeare’s play together with around 30 original pop bangers that keep the show pumping. The music is infectious and full of earworms, while her smart, witty lyrics – which are full of comic references from swiping right to Taylor Swift, eggplant emojis and DTF (I had to check what it meant) – add depth to the characters.

Three...