“Cruel Intentions : The 90’s Musical”

[rating=3] There are some plays that have come from films and over the years, most have enjoyed success. Back in the late 90’s Roger Kumble wrote a screenplay with a story based on a novel from 1782 called “Les Liasons Dangereuses named “Cruel Intentions” and of course brought the story to New York and a group of teens at a private high school. The American version starred Sarah Michelle Geller, Ryan Phillippe, Selma Blair and Reese Witherspoon, so of course made money and of course developed a following. These films are often called “cult classics” as the true followers know every word of the dialogue, often quoting lines with the film.

In 2015, almost 16 years later, Kumble joined with Jordan Ross and Lindsey Rosin to redo the script as a musical adding music of the period (hits from Jewel, Britney Spears, No Doubt, Garbage and many more. Songs like “Every You, Every Me”, “Bye , Bye, Bye”, “I Don’t Want To wait” and “Bittersweet Symphony” ( the finale to the musical version). This version is called “Cruel Intentions: The 90’s Musical”. The musical director is Isabella Isherwood and she has some marvelous voices to work with. This is music that many of us ( my age ) are unfamiliar with, but it works into the story well.

The story is a coming of age one and maybe I am getting old, but there were times when the young people in the audience were screaming, and yet, I found nothing of great excitement to cause this. Let’s face it, I have not seen the film, do not know the music and was there to watch the story to see if it was something that you , my readers, might want to be a part of. That is my function, so here we go.

“Cruel Intentions” is billed as not just a coming of age story, but one of manipulation by people who do what they can to hurt others. The main characters in the story are Sebastian Valmont, who is suave to a point ( David Moreland does a nice job and has great vocal range) and his step-sister Kathryn (deftly handled by Maddison Denault, whose pipes are extraordinary, hitting notes that are close to operatic). They are very devious and cruel people. They make a bet relative to a new co-ed, Annette ( Kelcy Taylor). Can Sebastian bed her? If so, Kathryn will have sexual relations with him ( remember, they are step siblings). If not, Sebastian will hand over the keys to his Jaguar. The question might arise for you about a “leopard changing his spots” as we witness a change in Sebastian’s conquests and what happens to him. BTW- I will never give away this event.

The story is filled with sexual anecdotes. A star football player, who is quite macho and chased by all the girls, turns out to be gay. There is blackmail in this matter, I found the stage at The Chopin Theatre ( this is the downstairs studio) far to small for this story to be told properly. Director Adrian Abel Azevedo was quite limited with the space and had to forgo an actual set. They made the most of the space they had, but Laura Savage also had a very small space  for her choreography. What she was able to do was fitting and the four dancers who did  most of the dancing were terrific. With no program, it is only a guess, but I think they were Niki-Charisse Franco, Justin Grey McPike, Jaxson Smith and TJ Tapp.

Another “love” ( or “sex”) story in the story is that of Cecile Caldwell ( a delightful character study by Anabella Oddo, who is quite limber) who falls in love with  Ronald ( Lucas Looch is a delight) but is deflowered by Sebastian. That is his position in the school. Mrs. Caldwell is sort of a comic character and Elizabeth Lesinski camps it up to perfection. The two guys, Blaine and Greg are played by Jimmy Romano and Josh Pablo Szabo. Again, I think I got it right!

I thought that the ages of the cast members was a bit off and that Sebastian and Kathryn seemed a bit older than the others. If we had seen them on a larger stage in a bigger venue, that probably would not have been so evident. We all knw that the Pandemic took us away from theater and that many of us were ready to see something that would bring laughter, and joy, even if it was a bit risque. This show is certainly far from “family entertainment”, but if you are into the film or the music of the era or just someone who likes to watch plays about sex ( any type), this might be just right for you.

“Cruel Intentions : The 90’s Musical” will continue at The Chopin Theatre located at 1543 West Division Street ( between Ashland Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue) thru  August 7th with performances as follows:

Thursdays  7 :00 p.m.

Fridays  7 :00 p.m.

Saturday  7 :00 p.m.

Sundays  5 :00 p.m.

Tickets are $40 ( seniors and students $30)

There area a limited number of $15 tickets for students for each performance. For info or to reserve your ticket visit www.kokandyproductions.com

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Cruel Intentions: The 90’s Musical”.

Street parking, some metered, some not is available and of course public transportation is right there.

All Covid rules apply. Proof of vac and photo ID