Review: Cruel Intentions at New Wimbledon Theatre (UK Tour)
⭐⭐⭐ (Three Stars)
Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical is a jukebox musical adaptation of the 1999 cult classic film of the same name, itself an adaptation of the 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, also adapted for the screen in the 1988 movie Dangerous Liaisons. The plot of Cruel Intentions follows the wealthy and manipulative teenage step-siblings Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil, who strike a wager over whether Sebastian can seduce the virtuous and virginal Annette Hargrove. As the web of betrayals causes relationships to become tangled, havoc is wrought at the prestigious New York school they all attend.
The show is filled with nostalgia and every 90s kid’s guilty pleasure playlist. With a soundtrack packed to the brim with 90s hits from Christina Aguilera, *NSYNC, Natalie Imbruglia and more, this show has all the right ingredients for a fun night out at the theatre.
However, while the energetic campiness of the musical numbers deliver exactly what you’d expect and more, the show's overall tone feels somewhat inconsistent. The musical numbers are a pure 90s dream, with energetic dance routines (choreographed by Gary Lloyd), catchy pop songs and over-the-top performances that keep the audience engaged and entertained. But here’s where the show hits a bit of a snag: the scenes between the musical numbers. These moments, where the plot of the film is most closely replicated, are played much more straight. The script also retains homophobic slurs and eating disorder jokes, making some scenes uncomfortable to watch. The shift from the campy, energetic numbers to these serious scenes feels jarring and tonally out of sync (or out of *NSYNC, if you will).
What this show really needs, I think, is a bit more of that campy energy injected into the dialogue and scenes. The script sticks very closely to the movie's original beats, but the delivery of the dialogue lacks the humour and over-exaggeration that would have better complemented the musical elements of the show.
The exceptions to this are the stand-out performances by Lucy Carter as Cecile, Luke Conner Hall as Blaine and Gabriella Williams as Mrs. Caldwell who all nail the camp factor. Their performances are outrageously funny and they embrace the ridiculousness of the show with full force, delivering some of the most memorable moments. Their over-the-top portrayals are a welcome contrast to the more reserved direction of other characters.
That said, this is still an enjoyable show. During the musical numbers, it’s a nostalgic, heart-pumping good time. With a little more consistency in tone and a few tweaks to the direction and script, Cruel Intentions has the potential to transform into the ultimate guilty-pleasure musical.
Cruel Intentions runs at New Wimbledon Theatre until 1st March 2025.
Following this, the tour continues at the following venues:
Chelmsford Theatre, Chelmsford 4-8th March
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 11-15th March
Royal & Derngate, Northampton 18-22nd March
Palace Theatre, Manchester 25-29th March
Gaiety Theatre, Dublin 1-5th April
His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen 8-12th April
New Theatre, Oxford 15-19th April
Theatre Royal, Bath 22-26th April
Festival Theatre, Malvern 29th April - 3rd May
Grand Theatre, Leeds 6-10th May
New Theatre, Hull 13-17th May
Darlington Hippodrome, Darlington 20-14th May
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff 27-31st May
Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham 3-7th June
Princess Theatre, Torquay 10-14th June
Theatre Royal, Brighton 24-28th June
Photos by Pamela Raith