(AD – PRESS NIGHT) CRUEL INTENTIONS UK TOUR REVIEW
TUESDAY 13TH MAY 2025 @ 7.30PM
HULL NEW THEATRE
⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
If there’s something you should know about me, it’s that I love some 90s nostalgia. When I say I like pop music, I mean anything I grew up with in the 90s and early 00s, not any current chart hits. That’s why I was intrigued when I saw that Cruel Intentions, the movie, had been made into a musical. Here’s my Cruel Intentions UK Tour review from Hull New Theatre’s press night.
PRE-SHOW THOUGHTS
I’ll admit that I have only seen the film once, when I was about 15 and I went to film club back in secondary school. I remember even back then that the plot was a bit odd but I wanted to see if the stage show was any less creepy. As I said above, when I saw the 90s music score, I thought it could be the newest musical to add to my favourites list.
THE CAST
The standout performer has to be Will Callan as Sebastian. I’ve seen him before in Les Miserables as Marius so to see him go from someone soft and sensitive in that to cocky and smarmy in this was a total 180. He was giving me total Chuck Bass vibes but yet you still wanted to root for him in the end. Callan has the most gorgeous tone to his voice and has a big vocal range too. I expect to see a lot of him in various musicals in the future.
Playing his stepsister Kathryn was Nic Myers. She has such a commanding stage presence and definitely played the snooty, mean girl character very well. In fact, I think she’d be an amazing Regina George on the Mean Girls tour next year (not to typecast her at all).
Lucy Carter as Cecile definitely brought the comedy to the stage. As soon as I saw her, I don’t know why but she reminded me of Daisy from Downton Abbey, both in looks and personality at the very start. She also has a gorgeous singing voice combined with her comedic acting.
Abbie Budden is the third leading lady as Annette, the girl who, in the end, captures Sebastian’s heart. Budden and Callan had a lovely, sweet chemistry. In fact, their duet of Colorblind was a highlight for me. Ironically, she turns Sebastian into a sweet guy but she actually gets some edge come the end of the show.
I’ve seen Kevin Yates in Come From Away a bunch of times so it was nice to see him in a fun role, rather than super serious. In this, he plays Ronald Clifford, Cecile’s cello teacher and eventual lover, and I wish he’d have had more stage time!
THE PRODUCTION
This is where my review gets a little uncomfortable. This talented cast deserved better material than they were given. I didn’t rate the book of the musical, which I often find in jukebox musicals, but this did have a proper plot. Unfortunately, I didn’t appreciate the racist and homophobic jokes made. Yes, it’s based in the 90s but I don’t think they were integral to the storyline really.
The set was also a little disappointing. I liked the framing of a posh home and the platform for both the characters and musicians to appear on though. However, there weren’t any other backdrops so it was like every scene happened inside the same location. Other than a chaise longue and a few chairs, you couldn’t differentiate much between scenes.
I also thought Kathryn and Sebastian’s costumes could’ve been a little more glamorous, considering they’re meant to come from lots of money and be super privileged. Also, I think I was expecting more costume changes but there weren’t many at all.
The choreography when on stage was modern, maybe not quite 90s, but fun all the same. The ensemble also did a great job when on stage but I felt they were a little under-utilised throughout.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Whilst I love the music in the show, it didn’t always fit the scene and felt sort of rushed through. You know when people say they hate musicals because they just randomly break into song? That’s what it felt like. I’m not always a big fan of jukebox musicals but usually when there’s a proper story, I like them more. It felt in the same realm as & Juliet but just not for me.
Maybe it’s because I find the premise of an incest storyline too much but a lot of the jokes felt appropriate and I pulled an icky face at multiple points of the show. I will admit that the second act was much better than the first, in terms of plots, scenes and transitions.
Was it the worst show I’ve seen? No. Would I like to see it again? Probably not. As always, I thought the entire cast did a great job with what they had and mostly their acting and singing made the show bearable.
If you enjoyed this post of my Cruel Intentions UK tour review, you can catch it on tour until the end of June. You can also find my other theatre reviews here. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok too!
