SCHENECTADY — The 90s are in.
Set aside that 90s pop music is often the background music to every grocery store you visit these days — that may not be the most favorable indicator for a trend — Gen X, Y and everyone else on the Gen-spectrum likes to go back in time.
“Baggy jeans!” said Richard Crandle, when asked what he’d bring back from the “Dot.com” decade. “You know the kind M.C. Hammer would wear on his tv shows and performances? I can bring back those pants all day long.”
He’s to perform in the upcoming North American tour of the off-Broadway hit “Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical.” His choice is not too much of a surprise. He’s to be Ronald Clifford, the music teacher, in what is promised to be a concert performance of chart-topping songs.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the cult classic film “Cruel Intentions”, producers announced the casting for the North American tour of the Off-Broadway smash hit “Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical.”
The 18-city tour follows sold-out runs in Los Angeles and a critically acclaimed, sold-out run in New York City, the new musical—a stage adaptation of Roger Kumble’s 1999 cult-hit film, created by Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin and Roger Kumble — will launch its first national tour at Proctors in Schenectady on Friday, March 29.
“It’s been the adventure of a lifetime being a part of Cruel Intentions’ cult legacy and I’m so excited to share our best-of-the-90s bittersweet symphony with the country,” said co-creator of the stage musical, Jordan Ross.
Grammy-winning producer Stewart Lerman captured the dynamic arrangements from the Off-Broadway production, in his studio outside New York City in August. Featuring the stellar talents of Carrie St. Louis, Constantine Rousouli and Alex Boniello alongside Patricia Richardson, the album will contain a collection of lively tracks from Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical including ‘Losing My Religion’ ‘Bye Bye Bye’ and a unique take on ‘No Scrubs’ that is not to be missed. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Foolish Games,” and “Lovefool” are currently available to stream and as instant grat tracks.
The album is available now for pre-order at www.smarturl.it/cruelmusical.
Set to some of the greatest pop and rock hits of the ‘90s, “Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical” is an exhilarating and deceptively funny musical that pulls you into the manipulative world of Manhattan’s most dangerous liaisons: Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil. Seduced by revenge and fueled by passion, the two diabolically charming step-siblings place a bet on whether or not Sebastian can deflower their incoming headmaster’s daughter, Annette Hargrove. As the two set out to destroy the innocent girl—and anyone who gets in their way—they find themselves entangled in a web of secrets, temptation, and the cruelest game of all: love. Audience members experience the intoxicating story full of hilarity and heart, set to the greatest throwback hits of the decade by such artists as Goo Goo Dolls, No Doubt, R.E.M., Ace of Base, Jewel, ‘NSYNC and more—in addition to songs from the film’s iconic soundtrack such as “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve and “Colorblind” by Counting Crows.
“Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical” debuted at The Rockwell Table & Stage in Los Angeles in 2015, where it ran for 38 sold-out performances, before being remounted for a second sold-out run at LA’s Prospect Theatre in November 2016. In February 2017, the musical played a sold-out “pop-up” engagement at (le) Poisson Rouge and returned in November 2017 to play a successful twenty-one-week engagement at the downtown NYC nightspot before its final performance on April 8, 2018.
The tour of Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical will star John Battagliese (BAZ: Starcrossed Love) as Greg McConnell, Richard Crandle (Hairspray) as Ronald Clifford, Jeffrey Kringer as Sebastian Valmont, Dara Orland (Beauty & the Beast) as Mrs. Bunny Caldwell, Taylor Pearlstein (Flashdance) as Kathryn Merteuil, Brooke Singer (The Great Pie Robbery) as Cecile Caldwell, Betsy Stewart (October Sky) as Annette, David Wright (Cinderella) as Blaine Tuttle, Nicole Medoro (This Ain’t No Disco) as the Female Understudy and Aramie Payton (The Scottsboro Boys) as the Male Understudy.
Tickets for Cruel Intentions range from $20 to $65, and can be purchased at the Proctors box office a 432 State Street, by phone at 518-346-6204, and online at proctors.org.
