‘We just can’t help but love a bit of drama and scandal’ - Cruel Intentions stars speak out as show hits Northampton

Based on the blockbuster ‘90s film Cruel Intentions, the show tells the tale of step siblings Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil who make a bet that Sebastian can seduce Annette Hargrove, the headmaster’s daughter.

With ‘90s pop classics from Britney Spears, Boyz II Men, Christina Aguilera, TLC, R.E.M., Ace of Base, No Doubt, Natalie Imbruglia and The Verve, the musical has been a hit in London and New York and started the UK tour in Windsor in February.

Abbie Budden played Annette in the London production last year and couldn’t wait to take on the part again for the tour.

“I watched the film when I first got the audition for London run and completely fell in love with it,” she says. “I found myself gasping and squealing at how outrageous it was and loved the absolute chaos of the plot. It really keeps you on your toes.

“I instantly felt connected to Annette and knew there was no way I wasn’t going to bring her to life. It was a lovely feeling to be in a role and a show that felt so right for me. That’s why it was so joyous being able to join the tour cast and bring the show to life a second time round. I have the ability to enjoy it all a little bit more this time and find lots of new moments with our fantastic new cast.”

Cruel Intentions is a modern retelling of the French classic Les Liaisons Dangereuses written by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos in the 18th century – and Abbie believes its themes are timeless.

“It’s amazing that no matter what era you put the story in, it’s still painfully relevant today. Teenage love, seduction, manipulation and friendship in any era will always come with its fair share of games, heartbreak and questionable behaviour. We just can’t help but love a bit of drama and scandal.

“Most of the characters are extremely complex, devious and flawed people and yet you can’t help but root for their stories.

“It’s surprising how the judgments in the show from certain characters about wealth, class and race are upsettingly even more relevant than they’ve ever been, so there’s absolutely still a lot of lessons to be drawn from the story.”

Nic Myers, who recently played Sally Bowles in the West End production of Cabaret, says performing the ruthless Kathryn was irresistible.

“A role like Kathryn rarely presents itself to you. She is obviously a terrible person and that's shown in her actions in the plot but I like that she's incredibly strong and she's kind of a mastermind genius. She has poise and elegance and she's a very sexual person, she’s very in her body.

“A couple of times in the show she compares men and women and what men can get away with and how men are allowed to be viewed and how women have to, no matter who they are, wrap it up in a nice little neat digestible bow. I think she is deeply hurt by that, I think that's a big part of her character. The way she feels irritated by how women have to be presented and seen in the world is very relatable to me.”

Nic believes the 1999 movie by Roger Kumble was an international sensation because it shows the complexities of the teenage experience.

“Cruel Intentions is similar to films like Heathers and Mean Girls in having these really adult themes that teens are allowed to watch. I think it felt really adult in the ‘90s to see this kind of self-discovery on screen - the angsty ‘it's really hard being a teen’ which is explored in the show.

“It’s the morality of seeing what's right and wrong on the screen, you have some characters who are obviously very much in the wrong and then the good ones and then you have the ones in between.

“The show is so successful because it’s a ride. You will laugh and you will cry. it's easy to digest but with emotional weight to it – and there's a bop every minute.”

Will Callan was just 18 when he first played Marius in the classic musical Les Misérables on tour and then in the West End – and he was keen to take on a very different role in the shape of Sebastian.

“Sebastian is an awful person at the very start of the show,” Will says. “It seems he’s just devoid of empathy but we come to learn that’s not actually a characteristic that he was born with but one he has come to learn from the people who he’s closest to.

“It’s strange that Sebastian is so sure of himself at such a young age, he seems so confident as he approaches everything. The calculation that Sebastian takes for every decision is really interesting for me to be able to play as a character.

“With the film, I don’t think the audience in the ‘90s were expecting to feel such attraction towards such a bad person as the protagonist. He’s like an anti-hero, it brings that sense of danger and sexiness to the story - the audience feel they are on the ‘bad’ team.”

Will says the musical, which is directed by Jonathan O’Boyle, is attracting both fans of the film and people new to the tale.

“If you are a lover of a good story and nostalgia then you are in for a great night. It’s really live theatre that can’t be missed, it’s an absolute riot of a time. We’ve had people from around my age and people who are training in drama school to grandparents in the audience.”

Cruel Intentions runs until March 22. Visit royalandderngate.co.uk or call 01604 624811 to book.