There are many reasons people attend a theatrical performance. Sometimes they crave a good laugh, or cry, other times they hope to reminisce, be taken back to a time they remember fondly. Those specific feelings of nostalgia are often conjured up by memories of a completely different time.
In New York City, specifically trendy Greenwich Village, one such production is being staged that may evoke those same sentimental feelings for anyone who grew up in the 1990s.
Cruel Intentions: This ‘90s Musical Experience is an off Broadway production at (Le) Poisson Rouge that follows the plot of the ‘90s film with the same name as the production which starred Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillipe, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair.
The masterminds behind the play are Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross, who had the brilliant idea to mesh the best of the ‘90s music, including numbers like Kiss Me and I’m a B*tch, with the plot of the explosively popular film of the same genre.
The story follows lead characters Sebastian Valmont (played by Constantine Rousouli) and Kathryn Merteuil (played by Lauren Zakrin), step-siblings, who are engaged in the most diabolical schemes shrouded around sex and betrayal.
The intrigue continued when, Sebastian and Kathryn decided to have a wager, as to whether Sebastian could de-flower outspoken virgin Annette Hargrove (played by Carrie St. Louis). Throughout this torrid, back and forth figurative dance, the cast burst out into little ditties like Genie in a Bottle and Boyz II Men classics, at the most opportune moments.
What was even more appropriate, was how close to the action the audience was situated. The venue has table seating and allows guests to eat and drink while simultaneously, consuming a positively delicious evening of theater. Then, just when audience go-ers least expected it, one of the cast members came out of nowhere into the theater to belt out a catchy tune that you’ll be humming long after the last current call.
Cruel Intentions exists as a must see for the nostalgic, the musically-inclined and the lovers, of all things ‘90s.
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