Review by Daz Gale
⭐️⭐️⭐️
There is no shortage of movie to musical adaptations at the moment with well-loved films from the 90s and 2000s all enjoying the leap to the stage in recent years. A personal favourite of mine last year was Cruel Intentions – The 90’s Musical which proved to be a fun evening when it played a London run at The Other Palace. Following the end of that run, it is now embarking on a tour across the UK,, bringing new meaning to the quote “You can put it anywhere”, but would this show continue to amaze me in this latest version?
Based on the 1999 movie, the musical adaptation of Cruel Intentions premiered in 2015, making its UK debut in 2019 and its London debut last year. A modern-day retelling of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, it tells the story of step-siblings Sebastian and Kathryn as they engage in a cruel bet on whether Sebastian can seduce the headmaster’s virtuous daughter, Annette. As the pair scheme with no consideration for who gets hurt in the process, their actions have some unexpected repercussions.
Your enjoyment of Cruel Intentions is very much determined on how you view the show. Whether you intend to take it as a serious story or accept that its tongue is very much in its cheek in an almost parody-esque manner. This felt much clearer at last year’s London run, where I viewed the show as the latter. For some reason though, the lines felt far more blurred this time with less emphasis on the exaggerated nature of the story and the laughs not coming as often. Perhaps that is solely down to me not enjoying it as much the second time around or any external factors that may have led me to view this in a different way than my previous visit, However, the purpose of the production felt much clearer at The Other Palace last year, so I would argue that the tone is not defined as clearly this time around.
The writer of the original movie, Roger Kumble, has been joined by Jordan Ross and Lindsey Rosin to create this version. The dialogue doesn’t stray too far from the movie, with homophobic slurs thrown around casually with “No offence” – make of that what you will. Quite a pacey piece with each act lasting 50 minutes, character exposition isn’t forthcoming leading to a production that lacks the charm needed. Characters are so under-explored that I found it hard to care or connect with them as the show went on.
Subtitled the 90’s musical, Cruel Intentions has been turned into a jukebox musical with as many songs from the 1990s crammed in to the show as possible (as well as one song from the 2000s but let’s gloss over that). Where some complain about songs being shoehorned in to jukebox musicals without making sense, that is not the case in Cruel Intentions. Think of a jigsaw piece that doesn’t fit so you keep smashing it until it is forced to fit unnaturally albeit precariously. That is how the songs fit into Cruel Intentions… or rather they don’t. Artists as diverse as Natalie Imbruglia, Britney Spears, No Doubt, Goo Goo Dolls and *N Sync (not a 90’s song) are all present and correct… as correct as they can be, at least. Are you wondering how ‘Wannabe, ‘No Scrubs’ and (most bizarrely) ‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s’ fit into the story? So am I, to be honest.
While hearing so many recognisable songs is great in itself, they really don’t add anything to the story – compare it to &Juliet, a show that ingeniously inserts well known songs into the show and makes it seem as if they were written solely for that purpose. If you’re going to put songs that make no sense narratively into the story, you really need to run with the ridiculous factor of it – something I feel this show did well at The Other Palace but have completely missed in the touring production. It’s as if it was decided to remove the tongue from its cheek and play this far more seriously, and that is why this production has failed to match the dizzying heights of its predecessor.
Other aspects of the production fare better with Jonathan O’Boyle directing a wonderful cast with fun and flair, and Gary Lloyd’s choreography fantastically used on the bigger musical numbers. Polly Sullivan’s set design is beautifully complemented with Nick Richings’ lighting, making full use of the bigger space they have to play with this time around.
The greatest aspect of this production is the cast. Will Callan goes from cocky to complex but always captivating as Sebastian in a confident performance I struggled to take my eyes off. Demonstrating a remarkable singing voice, it was his take on Goo Goo Dolls’ classic ‘Iris’ that proved one of the standout performances.
As his step-sister, Kathryn, Nic Myers is equally striking with her cold and icy demeanour a brilliant character performance and one that made her ultimate downfall so much more impactful to witness.
Luke Conner Hall is another highlight as Blaine Tuttle with a great use of comedy timing and a voice that wowed throughout, feeling reminiscent of Adam Lambert at times. Abbie Budden reprises her role of Annette Hargrove from The Other Palace this time, and is even better this time around in an assured performance, culminating in a vocal masterclass in ‘Foolish Games’, while Lucy Carter is a comic highlight as Cecile Caldwell, with a very different take on the Boyz II Men classic ‘I’ll Make Love To You’ you will never unsee.
This is a very different review to the last time I reviewed Cruel Intentions and I’ve surprised myself by this, given how much I loved it the first time around. Something about this touring production has lost the essence of what made last year’s London run so special. Though it is still enjoyable in parts, this touring version has made the show’s weaknesses all the more apparent. It just goes to show perhaps you can’t put it anywhere?
Cruel Intentions – The 90’s Musical tours until 28th June. Tickets available here
Photos by Pamela Raith