Cruel Intensions the 90s Musical comes to Sussex – we review opening night

But you should absolutely go and see it because it’s like being hit with a sledgehammer of 90s nostalgia in the best possible way.

Starting its week-long run at Theatre Royal Brighton last night (Tuesday, June 24), the stage adaptation of the 1999 movie of the same name is just as raunchy as the big screen version. I wasn’t sure whether a theatre audience, so often thought of as quite traditional, would take to something with such explicit sexual references. But the packed house seemed really enjoy the risqué humour... for the most part. I was slightly worried for a man sat behind my friend and I, who started muttering ‘oh dear, oh dear’ at one of the show’s most gratuitous moments, but he appeared to survive relatively unscathed.

Plenty of witty one-liners had my friend and me cackling at several points – and while it’s not a particularly sophisticated plot, it delivers a storyline centred on secrets and temptation with style and a tongue firmly in cheek spirit. There aren’t many musicals that serve up such a naughty slice of theatre, and we found it refreshing to see something so different.

Now, for the absolute best part – the songs! As a teenager in the 90s these tracks were the soundtrack to my adolescence, so the reminiscence vibes were strong. Every single song was one I wanted to belt out along with the cast (don’t worry, I didn’t) – it was as if the very best of 90s pop had been delivered in a gift-wrapped time capsule.

From Livin’ La Vido Loca, to Wannabe, Lovefool, Kiss Me, Torn, Iris, Losing my Religion, Bittersweet Symphony and so many more, this could very well have just been a really good 90s cover show in its own right.

The fact it’s an actual musical with a top-notch cast is the cherry on the cake. We were blown away by all the voices, but Will Callan had a real tenderness to his voice that shone through to reveal his character Sebastian Valmont’s softer side.

Nic Myers, as Katheryn Merteuil, sure can blow the roof of the place and Abbie Budden was so sweet as Annette Hargrove.

I think it’s fair to say some of the language from 1999 hasn’t aged all that well, and the show definitely explores themes that can be quite uncomfortable, but overall I think it’s done quite cleverly for an audience that has 25 years more wisdom.

The show runs until Saturday, June 28, and tickets are still available from the Theatre Royal Brighton website.