Following successful seasons in London and New York, Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical visits the Theatre Royal Bath from Wednesday 23rd to Saturday 26th April.
Nic Myers as Kathryn, Abbie Budden as Annette and Will Callan as Sebastian | Photo © Pamela Raith
Based on the iconic film Cruel Intentions and inspired by Les Liaisons Dangereuses, the hit musical is packed with 1990s pop classics including the songs of Britney Spears, Boyz II Men, Christina Aguilera, TLC, R.E.M., Ace of Base, Natalie Imbruglia, The Verve, *NSYNC and many more.
Step-siblings Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil engage in a cruel bet when Kathryn goads Sebastian into attempting to seduce Annette Hargrove, the headmaster’s virtuous daughter.
Weaving a web of secrets and temptation, their crusade wreaks havoc on the students at their exclusive Manhattan high school. Before long, the duo become entangled in their own web of deception and unexpected romance with explosive results.
The lure of the ’90s music is no doubt a ticket seller and the playlist is good with top-class vocals from the entire company.
However, when characters are this unattractive, it is hard to engage with any of them.
The technical execution is excellent with a huge lighting rig lifting the numbers in a concert-style performance, but it does not cover what is a dire and weak script peppered with caricatures to propel the weak storyline forwards.
It is sexually explicit, using sex as blackmail, trophy hunting and to conquer those who happen to be on the list of the protagonists.
The vocals are outstanding, but the choreography is uneven with the occasional opportunity for the company to show their phenomenal skills.
This has an advisory of 15 – but it is a strange choice to expose young people under the age of consent to such an overt display of sex and its depiction in its various forms.
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Reviewer: Petra Schofield
