Sydney Reviews

Cruel Intentions – The 90s Musical is a stage adaptation of the cult classic by the same name. It is a dark story. One of sinister liaisons and manipulative entanglements. It follows step siblings Katheryn and Sebastian as they try to coerce and control the relationships around them. They hold nothing back and use their sexual power to subdue, subvert and win at all costs. The focus for their cruel intentions is Annette Hargrove and Cecile Caldwell; two innocent girls caught in the web of lies and vile power trips.

The story is unpleasant. It creates unease and seeing it on stage reminds me of that uncomfortable feeling I had when I walked out of a cinema after watching the film a few decades ago. Maybe it is just that I am older and wiser, maybe it is the strengthening of feminist voices and the recent Me Too movement but watching this production there was definitely a new layer of menace to the stage production.

It could also be that Kirby Burgess is just so brilliant at portraying the drug addicted, power hungry Kathryn Mertevil. Mertevil is strong and relentless in her search for dominance yet despite her cut throat stage presence there are moments where you see the cracks. She allows you ever so brief glimpses at a broken soul; a few hints at a human that is living alongside the she-devil that is callus and vicious in every decision she makes. She sets her sights on ruining the life of Cecile,played beautifully by Sarah Krndija. Cecile’s crime was being the girl Kathryn’s ex boyfriend dated after dumping Kathryn. An unforgivable sin that deserves nothing less than the full force of Kathryn. 

Krndija’s performance was rambunctious. She plays a teenager who is naive and who is unaware of her physical body. She sits sucking her lollipop legs akimbo revealing her knickers. She is clumsy and innocent as she crosses the bridge between girl and woman. 

Krndija makes the role her own with an over the top portrayal of Cecile. There is a wonderful scene between her and her music tutor Ronald who is played by Rishab Kern. She has been encouraged to flirt with him and she enters with such gusto that she just can’t contain herself. She blurts out phrases and wavers between supremely confident and completely lost at sea. Kern is also in his element and seems to thrive in the spot light.

Drew Weston as Sebastian Valmont, the casanova who can talk any girl out of her pants. Weston goes from strength to strength in this performance. He has a real spark with Burgess who plays his step sister. You can feel the tension and when those two are on stage together they are dynamic and vibrant.

Joseph Spanti and Ross Chisari play Greg and Blaine two homosexual teens. One who knows and owns his sexuality and one who is trapped in the macho world of football with all its trappings of what a man should be. They bring the whole hell of high school and its complexity when trying to figure out who you are and who you want to be.

Kelsey Halge plays Annette the girl who is wooed by Sebastian but who wooes him right back. She plays the sweet little girl next door so well as she clutches her books to her chest and tries to hold her ground.

The song choice and soundtrack of this show is wonderfully curated. Songs we know and love are used as script devices. The song No Scrubs by TLC is a great example. Mrs Caldwell, played by Fem Belling, an upper-class white woman confronts a young black man who is tutoring her daughter and sending her love letters. The song starts off as an insult delivered by Mrs Caldwell but by the end Ronald is singing it back to her. Taking back his power and rising above her discrimination.

If you liked the film you will thoroughly enjoy this production and if you never saw it but can appreciate deeply twisted intentions and noxious high schoolers, Cruel Intentions – The 90s Musical is for you.