#EdFringe: Cruel Intentions the 90s Musical review
★★★ ½
If you can get past how inappropriate, cruel (well, duh), and kind of icky the movie is, Cruel Intentions is a lot of fun on stage, complete with every 90s banger you love to hate but still just as inappropriate and awkward as the original film.
Photo: © The Other Richard
Look, I wouldn’t have adapted Cruel Intentions to be a musical, and the movie has a weird special place in my heart (it’s from my first date with the BF, bless). Maybe it’s because I’d never seen the movie until about 3 years ago, so for me it hasn’t aged well.
Then again, any musical that opens a show with a musical version of Placebo’s Every You, Every Me is an absolute cracker of a show. As you’ll see, I spent most of the show in two minds – is this choice of song tacky, or genius, or both? As the audience roar with laughter or groan as the best and worst of the 90s is trotted out, the show is true to the movie’s story lines following a wicked bet between step siblings Kathryn Merteuil (Rebecca Gilhooley) and Sebastian Valmont (Dominic Andersen) and their sexual conquests and manipulation.
Absolute stand out members of the cast are Gilhooley as Kathryn and Sophie Isaacs as Annette Hargrove – they cannot put a foot or note wrong and command the stage from the moment the enter the room.Christ can these two women belt! It’s a mammoth sound created by just 8 talented performers, complete with excellent energetic choreography by Gary Lloyd and excellent navigation of the space.
The music is well directed by Sarah Morrison and her small band of four, which create the rich rock and roll sound that fills the Palais du Variete in George Square Gardens. The cast often sing and move throughout the round space, creating an intimate and immersive feeling, and the show is complete with his like No Doubt’s ‘Just A Girl, N*SYNC’s ‘Bye Bye Bye’, and closing with The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Symphony’.
Gilhooley as Kathryn and Isaacs as Annette. Photo - The Other Richard.
It’s a pity that three weeks into a sell out, critically acclaimed run, that there are still significant microphone issues and fumbled lines. Lead cast members are standing in the middle of the stage, had just delivered a line, and then when it’s their turn to respond, the mics are off or dropped out. Unfortunately, this happened more than once, and is disappointing in a show of this quality.
There’s one particular moment of the show that lands badly, and the audience collectively gasp at the same time. It’s not a reflection of this performance at Edinburgh Fringe but one of the writers Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin and Roger Kumble (who also created the film). No Scrubs, being a classic 90s tune by TLC about a man who doesn’t own a car being someone we don’t want to date, is inappropriately directed at the black guy as someone we don’t want around, because he’s black. The racism of the moment hurts even now, and while the show is set 20 years ago, it is simply poor taste and not necessary in a show being put on in the 21st century. Then again, the whole show and it’s film originals are inappropriate, so again, is it tacky and racist and horrible, or poorly thought out genius?
It’s corny, it’s fun, it’s awkward, its production values are very good, it’s not going to change your life, and it’s definitely not going to start or finish on time, but it is a fun night of silly and new musical theatre. Go for the cult movie references, stay for the excellent soundtrack and music.
Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical plays at Palais du Variete in Assembly George Square Gardens until 25 August. More info.
