This deliciously trashy musical adaptation of the 1999 film inserts Nineties pop classics into its story of cynical sexual shenanigans among privileged New York teens. A fast, funny, guilty pleasure, it’s a fitting tribute to the popular touch of its late producer Bill Kenwright.
Cruelly, the big screen role of arch-schemer Kathryn Merteuil – alongside Buffy the Vampire Slayer – was the last major career high for Sarah Michelle Gellar (who bracingly tells us to turn our phones off in a pre-show voiceover here). On stage, it proves a breakout vehicle for Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky, who has a belting soul-gospel crossover voice, and embodies the slinky perversity that makes the show zing. Her biography lists mostly tours and understudy work, plus a stint in Six. This swaggering turn should make her a star.
