Writing a new musical is incredibly demanding. Getting it to the stage requires a huge amount of faith, creative development and money (not to mention plenty of rewriting), and still it’s a big risk.

Peter Evans, the Artistic Director of Bell Shakespeare, has described his decision to stage Laura Murphy’s new musical The Lovers as “a huge risk” for the company, adding, “I may end up with egg on my face”.

Well thank goodness, he decided to take the chance, because The Lovers is an exhilarating breath of fresh air and proof positive that Laura Murphy is something of a genius when it comes to writing musicals.

Natalie Abbott, Brittanie Shipway and Jerrod Smith, The Lovers, Bell Shakespeare, 2022. Photo © Daniel Boud

The show would probably benefit from a bit more dramaturgy, particularly in the second act, but gee, it’s exciting! There was a real feeling on opening night that it was one of those nights you will always remember being at.

It’s a great shame that The Dismissal, for which Murphy wrote music and lyrics, didn’t make it to the stage as scheduled in 2021. A workshop production of The...