Daniel Bravo is currently starring as Sebastian Valmont in the London premiere of Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical.
Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky (Six) and Daniel Bravo (Witness for the Prosecution) lead the cast as Kathryn and Sebastian the manipulative step-siblings, with Abbie Budden (Peter Pan, TikTok star) as Annette and Rose Galbraith (Old Friends) as Cecile.
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.
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.
You’re currently starring in Cruel Intention at The Other Palace, what can you tell us about this musical?
Cruel Intentions is a musical based on the 1999 cult classic movie of the same name. It follows step siblings Kathryn and Sebastian as they wreak havoc at their Manhattan Prep School – manipulating and deceiving their school mates as part of a twisted bet they’ve made between the two of them. Paired with the best pop music of the 90s the musical is sexy, it’s camp and it’s a hell of a good time.
Audiences and critics alike have fallen in love with the show, why do you think it’s proven so popular?
People do seem to be having a great time! Which is obviously delightful for us every night. I do think the music plays a huge factor – the 90s was such an incredible decade for music, and maybe compared to today’s pop music relied a lot more on narrative and storytelling – which obviously works so well for a musical.
I also think this movie was so pivotal for so many 90s teenagers – many describe it as their sexual awakening, and so seeing it played out on stage in such a fun, and theatrical way must be thrilling.
You’re playing Sebastian Valmont, what do you love most about the role?
I mean, Sebastian is an absolute dream of a role for any young actor like me – getting to sink my teeth into someone who is such a menace to begin with but also has a redemptive arc where you’re playing with real vulnerability and softness too is an absolute gift.
I think (I hope) my friends would consider me a friendly and grounded guy, so getting to prowl around stage being the epitome of an obnoxious narcissist is a LOT of fun.
And what’s the biggest challenge?
I think for nearly everyone in the show, it’s a pretty vocally demanding score – so obviously doing 8 shows a week we’re all really having to prioritise staying vocally healthy and rested. For Sebastian specifically, he doesn’t get much time off stage and so I’m really having to make sure I get into a focused head-space before we start each performance, because once the train’s left the station there’s no getting off.
I also think really how we feed off the audience has been a big learning curve – the material is pretty outrageous and in some places fairly offensive. Some nights we’ve had audiences who haven’t given a huge amount back at the beginning of the show and there was a tendency to feel like we needed to back off, but actually we’ve learnt now that it’s always better to lean into the tone of the show even more, and win them round. By the curtain call they’re always on their feet dancing and having a great time!
The hit soundtrack to the show is a big draw for audiences, how would you describe the mix of songs?
It really is the best of the 90s – you’ve got classic pop hits like Bye Bye Bye by NSYNC and No Scrubs by TLC, grungier songs like Every You, Every Me by Placebo and B*tch by Meredith Brooks, we’ve got some more emotional ballads like Foolish Games by Jewel and Colorblind by Counting Crows for the moments of the show that hit the audience in the feels a bit more.
Since this is the London premiere we even have a sprinkling of Brit Pop, but maybe you should come watch to find out what that is…
And do you have a favourite number in the show?
I get to sing some absolute classic karaoke songs in this – Torn by Natalie Imbrulia and Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls, both SO much fun to perform and it’s always very entertaining seeing the audience do their very best to not stand up and sing them out with me. But I think my favourite number has to be our Act 1 Finale – it begins with Kathryn and Sebastian singing I’m Only Happy When it Rains by Garbage and culminates in a huge mash up of about 5 different songs from Act 1, hearing everyone in the cast belt their faces off in the climax never fails to give me goosebumps.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see Cruel Intentions?
Stop thinking about it and do it! You’ll have the time of your life. If you want bonus points I would maybe watch the movie first. See you there, and if you’re not up on your feet dancing to Bye Bye Bye at the end I’ll call you a moron or something.
