Interview: Nic Myers on playing Kathryn in CRUEL INTENTIONS: THE 90s MUSICAL UK tour
The 90s are back! Hit show Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical, based on the iconic movie, is touring the UK this spring and summer. We spoke to star Nic Myers, who plays acid-tongued antiheroine Kathryn Merteuil.
How are audiences reacting to the new tour of Cruel Intentions so far?
They are loving it! We always end every show with everyone up on their feet singing along to the tunes they love and having a boogie. If you come expecting a good night out, to laugh a lot, to be moved, to sing, to dance, then you will have a great time. We’re a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously; the cast are absolutely amazing and everyone is giving such high energy performances throughout. If you love 90s music, or if you love Cruel Intentions, I guarantee you’ll have such a fun time.
Kathryn is the villain of the piece. Did you find a way to connect with her humanity?
Yes I have! Villain origin stories have always been interesting to me. Kathryn is undoubtedly a sociopath. Her puppeteering and villainy is the root of all destruction in the plot of Cruel Intentions. So yes, I did have to look past her actions to source what drives her to do all of these awful things. And what I landed on was hurt and trauma. Specifically around being a woman and what that means in the world that they live in. She acknowledges the differences between how her and her equally lascivious step-brother, Sebastian, are treated and she’s angry about it. She wears this kittenish, sweet, head-girl mask, loved by all students and adults in the neighbourhood, as a coping mechanism for deep rooted anger about how women are expected to behave in society. I also think she’s never been loved properly, from what we can ascertain about her mother and Sebastian’s father. It sounds like she’s a rich kid from broken home with absent parents; she’s grown up watching her mother be cheated on and probably choosing terrible men. I think that’s why she does awful things to Cecile and Annette, because their sweetness and innocence is not for irony or because they’re faking it. They are actually loved by their families and end up being chosen by the men that Kathryn wants. She’s never experienced proper love!
What's your favourite part of the show to perform?
My favourite part is undoubtedly the final 20 minutes. Will Callan [playing Sebastian] and I get to do a mash up of ‘Bitch’ and REM’s ‘Losing My Religion’, which leads into a 5-minute breakdown mash-up of all of the other songs Kathryn has sung throughout the show. It’s epic! Which then ends with the iconic ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ that, of course, closes the film. Iconic. Moving. Joyous. Grand. Love it.
Cruel Intentions is filled with 90s classics. What music did you grow up listening to?
I am ever so slightly too young for the 90s bangers! I grew up more with the late noughties and 2010s. Rhianna, Christina, Gwen, Ellie Goulding … which, of course, some of this score crosses over into. My dad was a huge Meatloaf and Pink Floyd fan so I heard a lot of that growing up too. I love 70s and 80s rock, folk, jazz, pop… I got an eclectic mix, which I am very thankful for! But the majority of my time, as sad as it sounds, was spent listening to Broadway cast albums. I really was that stagey kid! The Secret Garden was my favourite as a child.
You recently starred as Sally Bowles in the West End production of Cabaret. How was the experience of joining such a critically lauded production?
It was high pressure! So many people have opinions and feelings about how Cabaret should be done and particularly how Sally and the Emcee should be portrayed. What Rebecca Frecknall and the whole team have created is so beautifully constructed and put together; it really allows for playfulness on the stage. Which means any new cast entering the Kit Kat Club have a lot of free rein to express themselves and put their stamp on the material. It was the most creatively challenging jobs I’ve had, and I learnt so much as an actor from everyone in that building. It was also the year I stopped second guessing myself and trusting in my craft and skills so I will be forever indebted to the KKC for that learning curve. It’s one of those productions that has been lauded since it opened, and it will continue to be… it really is what everyone says it is. Brilliant.
Are there any other iconic movies that you'd like to see turned into a musical?
I was asked this question recently in a press interview and out of nowhere, the words Bridge to Terebithia tumbled out of my mouth! It must have been stored in a drawer somewhere at the back of my brain but having thought about it since, it was one of the most pertinent films of my childhood and I think it could be weirdly hilarious and moving. Would need an original score though… anyone up for it?