Cruel Intentions Musical Star On Re-Imagining A Cult Classic

Hey Abbie, how are you?

I’m really great, thank you. I’m having such a great time on tour.

How are you finding the tour for Cruel Intentions?

This is the first tour that I’ve done, so it’s an absolutely new experience for me. It is kind of like a whirlwind. You blink and you’re in a new city every week. Just when you feel settled in one city, you’re straight onto the next. So it’s exciting and it’s fast-paced, but you’re right, it is tiring, I will be honest. It’s a very different experience to stay sitting in the West End for a year in the same theatre, but it’s lovely getting to see so many different theatres and in so many different places that I’ve never been 

Sounds so fun! Have you been to Ireland before?

No, never! This is my first time. It’s really exciting. I feel like I’m sort of becoming a sort of a mini tourist in all the different places I’m visiting. I think there’s so much of the UK and Ireland that I haven’t seen so it’s quite nice to actually get to do that on tour.

Touring sounds tough. Are you exhausted? How do you look after yourself?

Obviously you have to prioritise looking after your body. I think a big thing that I found on this contract is prioritising looking after my mind as well. I think getting out and seeing things and doing things that I enjoy is really important because otherwise, your life just becomes completely consumed by touring life. And whilst it is exhausting, it is important to get out and you know go and find somewhere to eat that it’s very lovely or go and see a place that you’ve always went to visit. I’ll go on a walk or just get out in the sunshine.

I spend so much of my life inside my dressing room in the theatre. So, even just getting outside and getting a bit of vitamin D is really important. I think as much it’s tiring, I think finding balance whilst you’re on tour is super important and actually just getting out. And also spending time with the cast as well, I think socialising and bonding with the cast is really important. Especially in a show like Cruel Intentions, where it’s such a small company of people. It’s really important to make sure that we do all bond like that, I think the social aspect is definitely important.

I guess there’s a lot of pressure.There are so many people that absolutely love the film. It’s iconic, it’s a cult classic. You have these incredible people playing these roles. The film is so star studied with Sarah Michelle Geller and Selma Blair and Reese Witherspoon, who I get to play in this musical adaptation. That’s amazing to get a step into a role that Reese’s played. She’s one of my idols; she’s amazing.

But it’s so much fun getting to turn it into this hilarious, very tongue-in-cheek musical. What I love about the musical is that it takes everything that is so great about the film. It pays a homage beautifully, but it just amplifies all of that and adding in these nineties hit songs, I think it just makes it this beautiful amalgamation of just everything great about the 90s. It really is just this big nostalgia trip, and I think that’s why audiences love it so much. There really is something for everyone, whether you are a massive fan of the film, whether you just love the songs, whether you grew up in the 90s. If you’ve seen the film, you’ll know it’s quite the wild ride that the film takes you on! I think all of those elements in the film that were so great have kind of been pumped into the musicals.

You play Anette, who was made famous by Reese Witherspoon. How do you make sure you’re not just doing a Reese impression on stage?

I definitely wanted to make sure that there were lots of elements of Reese in my interpretation of Anette because Anette and Reese go hand in hand. Reese is why that role is so iconic, it would be almost rude of me to ignore that altogether. So I definitely wanted to make sure that there were moments that felt very Reese; there are some really iconic choices that she made in the film, like the funny faces that she pulls to Sebastian.

I definitely try and keep that very true to the film because it’s such an iconic moment, and it’s for the fans as well. This all new cast so you have to bring elements of yourself into it and work out how your characters bounce off, everyone else as well. There’s definitely a lot of elements of Reese in there, but a lot of elements with me as well. Obviously, our script is pretty much identical to the film, so it would be hard not to bring in some of these iconic moments that those amazing actors created.

What sets this apart from the nineties film is that it’s a musical. Singing the songs must be so fun!

Absolutely. I feel like it’s very hard to find someone who doesn’t like these nineties bangers. It’s quite nice because I feel like there are a lot of people’s go to karaoke tunes, so then getting to bring them to life and such a fun such a tongue-in-cheek way. I love how the musical doesn’t take itself too seriously. But obviously, then we do have these beautiful earnest moments in the show as well

We have a song in the show, Colour Blind, which is such a beautiful moment in the film. So we do have some of those iconic songs from the film as well for the die hard fans. With those songs you can’t help but smile and want to kind of bop along, like we have Spice Girls, Britney and Christina Aguilera. It really is the ultimate soundtrack.

Do you have a favourite song or is that like asking do you have a favourite child?

It kind of is! But I think I think my favourite song to sing is probably Torn just because I love that song. That was always my go to karaoke song, actually, and it’s such a beautiful moment in the show as well. So Torn is probably my favourite to sing. But then I do love Bittersweet Symphony because it is so iconic to the film. It’s such a kind of badass moment for these characters. I think if there was one song I was going to associate with the film, it would probably be Bittersweet Symphony. It would be rude, not to say that it was one of my favourites!

I think it helps the ending of the show. Obviously, I won’t spoil it, but it’s got quite a serious end to it despite such a funny show. But then we have this incredible megamix that finishes our show, which brings in all the best songs into this all singing all dancing, get up on your feet and join it in a moment. So that’s quite nice.

 We always end the show with big smiles on our faces, so I think I think that the megamix definitely helps. I think because the show has such a tongue-in-cheek element to it, I think even some of the moments that were serious in the film have a kind of element of comedy in our show. We definitely don’t take ourselves too seriously at all.

What should the audience expect going to see this?

You should just expect a good fun time. I mean, I know we’ve had some reviews that say it’s the theatre equivalent of a bottomless brunch, and it really is! I also think that one thing that sets it apart from other jukebox musicals is the fact that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s so much charm to these characters, you know that it’s quite an evil show. But you just can’t help but fall in love with the characters.

I think just because they’re so iconic. It’s a big nostalgia hit. Go in and have a good time, and there really is something for everyone. So if you’re not sure if it’s for you, just come along and experience it anyway. I can guarantee that there’s at least something in the show that you’re going to love.