Cruel Intentions ❤️‍🔥

#PRInvite #Gifted | Aberdeen Performing Arts has Cruel Intentions this week, hosting the '90s musical direct from its London run. With the show Livin’ La Vida local, those familiar to the film may want to run to His Majesty’s Theatre for the show which runs until Saturday.

Star rating: ★★★

‘Cruel Intentions’ has pop-locked its way to Aberdeen for the week, hoping to get its audiences smiling in the dark with its ‘90s musical. The show, first conceived in 2015 in Los Angeles, has been treated to an impressive range of productions around the world. It has popped up in Hollywood, New York, Australia and Argentina amongst other limited runs and a U.S. tour. The show then replaced fan-favourite ‘Heathers’ at The Other Palace in London in 2024, and has since embarked on a UK tour. Now, ‘Cruel Intentions’ finds itself in the Granite City, hoping to seduce Aberdeen audiences and offer a generous dose of nostalgia as the ‘90s gets naughty.

‘Cruel Intentions’ is a musical stage adaptation of the cult film of the same name, originally released in 1999 and which featured Reese Witherspoon. The film was treated to two sequels, distributed in 2000 and 2004 respectively, and since then has been attracting spin-off potential ever since. Most recently, Amazon Prime have just released a reimagining of the film in the form of a TV series, marking more than 25 years since its origination. This ‘90s musical, then, clearly heads off on a UK tour at the right time - refreshing the title for current audiences, some of whom may be discovering it for the first time. But those who are fans of the film are treated to an introduction from the original Kathryn - initially played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. 

Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil are step-siblings, comfortable within their sexualities, and start exploring these further with unlikely matches on their journey to Manchester Prep - a prestigious school in New York. The plot revolves around manipulation, temptation, corruption and scandals which inevitably lead to most of the characters having to fix their reputations after defaming themselves for sleeping around. Whilst Sebastian tries to have some form of autonomy, a jealous Kathryn is the puppeteer behind the operation of the show - and the consequences of her controlling nature become the catalyst for the story’s fateful conclusion. The step-sibling dynamic is an interesting one, though, and gives the White Lotus series a run for its money…

The show advertises a ‘soundtrack to die for’, hosting songs which defined a generation. This is a jukebox musical featuring a slew of songs from the ‘90s - a musical decade which can not be categorised by one single sound or genre. The good news is that if you’re like me, going into ‘Cruel Intentions’ without knowing much about it, you will definitely know the songs to tap your toes along to. Some of these hits include “Livin’ La Vida Loca”, “Genie in a Bottle” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. I enjoyed hearing these songs with subtle rearrangements and harmony lines - and particularly liked when the melodies were revisited as a song cycle towards the end. Jukebox musicals have become a type of theatre I am quite passionate about if done correctly, but if you asked me how ‘Cruel Intentions’ fared up, I’d have to say “I’m torn”.

Despite the strong theming of the ‘90s pop-playlist being the perfect companion to bringing the film from screen to stage, it didn’t quite work for me. The show runs in a similar vein to ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ which ran at Aberdeen Performing Arts last year - injecting music into a story which has already been invented. Therefore, the show naturally struggles, feeling slightly more superficial in comparison to the polished ‘& Juliet’ - which is one of the best examples of a jukebox musical. I applauded some attempts by the cast who offered a new meaning to some of the lyrics included in the show - but this was quite rare throughout and was not nearly as meaningful as I have unfortunately seen before. It became a major weakness for me - and I started viewing the show through the lens of the characters bursting out into karaoke songs… which, I suppose is not too far from the point in hindsight. Maybe ‘Cruel Intentions’ would benefit from the handheld mics I didn’t like in the new ‘Bat Out of Hell’ tour to help the show find its place.

The show has been created by Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin and Roger Kumble - with Eva Price as the original producer. Price is credited with an abundance of work on shows in the same spirit, including ‘& Juliet’, ‘Jagged Little Pill’ and recent Olivier Award winner ‘Titanique’. It is somewhat surprising then that ‘Cruel Intentions’ falls short of these. During the interval, I enjoyed unpacking my thoughts with other audience members who all said the same thing: the script is outdated - and whilst it does a good job at staying authentic to the original film, it sometimes feels inappropriate now. It feels at odds with itself, occasionally featuring homophobic slurs; but then exploring relationships between two men and two women. I also noted the use of some modern day language towards the end which was jarring, and highlighted a lack of coherence in the writing.

As far as Bill Kenwright tours go, this is one of a higher quality though. Jonathan O’Boyle directs the piece, and this is effective in the main. Matched with a set design by Polly Sullivan, the show is not unlike ‘Heathers’ - which is not a huge shock considering this particular production was developed in the same venue. It features a very similar static but stylistic set - and a gorgeous stage floor. Nick Richings plaudits the show with his lighting design, demonstrating how integral lighting and projection has become for storytelling in modern musicals.

Chris Whybrow is the sound designer, working with Joy’s musical direction, which has volume and power in abundance - but lacks dynamic and dimension. Every song is performed with a similar belt which is impressive, but needed some additional variance in the material to give it a sense of substance and grit. I enjoyed, though, how the small band are visible on stage, and how the sound elevated the choreography by Gary Lloyd. Last night’s press night was a visibly ‘cut’ show, noticeable within the choreography, but this was handled with ease by the ensemble.

Amongst the variety of locations ‘Cruel Intentions’ have put a pin in the map on, the one that stood out to me during my research of the show was the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019. I can see myself really enjoying the show at a Fringe venue - but since it has been buffed and waxed for a professional tour, for me it paid the same consequences as last year’s ‘Unfortunate’, which lost its charm and sparkle. I was pleased to know that I wasn’t the only one in last night’s audience feeling on the fence!

The ‘cruel’ cast, though, were really engaging. Will Callan takes on the role of Sebastian, and Nic Myers is Kathryn. Their characters prey upon the innocent - Miranda Sings like - character of Cecile Caldwell, played by Lucy Carter. Carter was the epitome of Cecile, and had the audience in stitches opening Act 2.

Abbie Budden is Annette Hargrove, and I enjoyed her performance. I’ve followed Budden since finding her primary school skits on TikTok, so it was really lovely to see her talent in a professional tour. She had a natural stage presence, and is one to watch in the musical theatre scene going forward, I suspect.

Some of the actors were multi-rolling, which could have been confusing if used more often, but nifty nonetheless. The principals were joined by Luke Conner Hall, who was perhaps the best vocalist of the night, portraying Blaine Tuttle and Joe Simmons as Greg McConnell. Onuri Smith took over the role of Ronald Clifford last night, alongside Gabriella Williams as Mrs Caldwell.

The show features a small ensemble of four: with Olivia Brookes, Sophie Hutchinson and Ben Fenwick taking to the stage last night. The ensemble were underused throughout the show, but complemented the material for the songs they featured in.

On the basis of ‘Cruel Intentions’ being the ultimate ‘90s night out - the show does succeed and can be enjoyed if your expectations do not exceed that. But, as a musical, I don’t feel it has much merit - got to be cruel to be kind, right? For a walk down memory lane and the chance to see a cult classic brought to life on stage - head down to His Majesty’s Theatre until Saturday to catch the show. A few glasses of wine beforehand, and you’ll have a great time.

Credits

Instagram links: @theatregramuk, @aberdeenperformingarts, @cruelintentionsuk

Review by Joel Simpson cc: theatregram@gmail.com

Production photos supplied by Aberdeen Performing Arts