Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical – New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon

Creators: Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin and Roger Kumble
Director: Jonathan O’Boyle 

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Nostalgic Nineties“

4 / 5

Cult classic Cruel Intentions was a risqué dark comedy featuring some of the 90s biggest stars. The musical version first made its stage debut back in 2015 and is currently on a UK tour, filled with a soundtrack packed with nineties nostalgia – a jukebox musical at it’s finest.

Rich, twisted and manipulative – step-siblings Kathryn (Nic Myers) and Sebastian (Will Callan) cause trouble everywhere they go. Renowned playboy Sebastian is intent on notching up as many sexual conquests as possible – the more dangerous the better, with the headmaster’s daughter Annette (Abbie Budden) at the top of his list, and innocent new girl at school Cecile (Lucy Carter) a close second, at the request of his vengeful stepsister. Kathryn is set on ruining Cecile’s life for dating her ex-boyfriend and certain Sebastian won’t deflower Annette – she offers a wager, he wins, he can sleep with her as well, he loses she gets his car. This sexually charged musical closely follows the storyline of the film, keeping in some of the more shocking and on the line content, in this not-so-family-friendly, but wickedly entertaining production, nonetheless.

The joy of the show is that it never takes itself seriously – fully leaning into the exaggerated storyline and ridiculously added song segues with a brilliant dose of humour. Scenes that could easily be cheesy are playfully performed, turning the cringe into an almost satirical take on the movie. The villainous behaviour of the two siblings is over the top and outrageous, excellently executed by Myers and Callan. Carter’s depiction of the childish teenager learning about sex for the first time is also brilliantly done, her ‘I’ll Make Love To You’ solo a hilarious gem.  

The music selected covers the 90s perfectly – from Britney to the Cardigans, Kiss Me to Breakfast at Tiffany’s, it is a wonderful little musical time capsule from the era. Some of the songs, such as Colourblind, are unexpectedly quite powerful and a slight change from the otherwise humorous, more playful renditions. One stand out example of a more tongue in cheek song, is Luke Conner Hall (Blaine) and Joe Simmons (Greg) performing Wannabe, which is fantastically done and one of the shows highlights. The cast as a whole work well together, with the final 90s songs megamix a fantastic way to close out the show and pay one final homage to 90s music, with a suitably poptastic choreography (Gary Lloyd) routine to match.

As a 90s baby, this show is right up my street, and had me wanting to dust off an old Walkman for some more nostalgia – but even those born outside of the decade can appreciate the fun and playfulness in this brilliantly performed production.

Runs until 1^st March 2025, then continues to tour