Bill Kenwright Ltd announces that casting is now complete for the eagerly awaited London premiere of Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical at The Other Palace.
Craig Watson was one of the Top 3 finalists in ITV1’s recent Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream contest. He is understudying the lead character of Sebastian Valmont. Craig was recently Swing, Fight Captain, and U/S Falco and Jagwire in the Bat Out of Hell UK and international tour and Doug/Mr Spencer, cover Theo in the School of Rock UK tour.
Nathan Lorainey-Dineen was ensemble & 1st Cover May/2nd Cover Francois in the original West End cast of & Juliet and ensemble & cover Marvin Gaye in Motown the Musical (West End)
Charlotte O’Rourke’s credits include 1st cover Sophie in Mamma Mia! (West End) and I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical (Edinburgh Fringe)
Verity Thompson was Heather Chandler in Heathers (UK tour) and performed in the original Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends gala.
They join the previously announced Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky (Six) and Daniel Bravo (Witness for the Prosecution) as Kathryn and Sebastian the manipulative step-siblings, Abbie Budden (Peter Pan, TikTok star) as Annette and Rose Galbraith (Old Friends) as Cecile.
Completing the line-up are Josh Barnett (Newsies, Last 5 Years) as Blaine, Jess Buckby (42nd Street, Anything Goes) as Ms Bunny Caldwell / Dr Greenbaum, Nickcolia King-N’Da (RSC) as Ronald and Barney Wilkinson (Bonnie & Clyde, Bat Out of Hell) as Greg.
Step-siblings Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil, manipulative monsters flushed with their own sexual prowess, engage in a cruel bet: Kathryn goads Sebastian into attempting to seduce Annette Hargrove, the headmaster’s virtuous daughter. Weaving a web of secrets and temptation, as the two set out to destroy an innocent girl – and anyone who gets in their way – their vengeful crusade wreaks havoc on the students at their exclusive Manhattan high school and the diabolical duo become entangled in their own mesh of deception and unexpected romance, with explosive results…
Based on Roger Kumble’s classic hit film Cruel Intentions, starring Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair – this year celebrating its 25th anniversary – and also inspired by the French novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical was created by Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin, and Roger Kumble.
A wild nostalgic throwback laced with a soundtrack of the greatest ‘90s pop classics, all performed live, including ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ by The Verve, R.E.M’s ‘Losing My Religion’, Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’, ‘I Saw the Sign’ by Ace of Base, Christina Aguilera’s ‘Genie in a Bottle’, TLC’s ‘No Scrubs’, Boyz II Men’s ‘I’ll Make Love to You’, *NSYNC’s ‘Bye Bye Bye’, Britney Spears’ ’Sometimes’ and many more.
Roger Kumble said: “The perfect 25th anniversary celebration of my 1999 film about a pair of hedonistic Manhattan step-siblings is seeing it re-imagined on the London stage as a musical. It’s an amazing show with a soundtrack loaded with all the greatest ‘90s guilty pleasures songs. Even people who hate musicals will love it!”
This London premiere is produced by Bill Kenwright Ltd, who recently produced the smash hit Heathers The Musical to great success in the West End, on UK tour and at The Other Palace.
Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical at The Other Palace Thursday 11 January – Sunday 14 April 2024.
