Picture it - It’s 1999 and tonight you’re sleeping over at a friend’s house. Their mom drove you to Blockbuster where you managed to snag one of the last copies of Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s newest movie, Cruel Intentions. It also stars someone named Reese Witherspoon, whoever that is. Your friend’s mom asks if you’re allowed to watch R-rated movies, so you lie and say, “Yes.” The cast is young and it doesn’t look scary, so she let’s you rent it. You get to the house and head down to the basement. You hop on the couch as your friend slides the tape into the VHS player and presses PLAY, unaware that your life is about to be changed forever.

It’s hard comprehend the cultural shift that followed Cruel Intentions. It was the first film of its kind to depict wealthy teenagers in overtly sexual situations, and went on to inspire shows like Pretty Little Liars, Scream Queens, and Euphoria. It’s safe to say that if you’ve watched teen drama that came out after 2000, it was heavily influenced by this film.

But not only was the story scandalous and seductive, it was also overtly queer - a major departure from the source material, Dangerous Liaisons. And for many a young queer person, it was the first time we saw same-sex intimacy in a mainstream movie. Was the film aggressively homophobic? Absolutely. But still, Phillippe’s naked butt and the scene of Gellar and Selma Blair kissing in the park were permanently burned into an entire generation of impressionable, teenage minds.

Unfortunately, as with most 90s media, Cruel Intentions did not age particularly well. It made light of coercion, assault, racism, and homophobia in ways that modern audiences no longer tolerate. So, why on Earth would a brand new, queer-led theater company choose the musical version as their inaugural show? The answer is very similar for anyone who also loves Drop Dead Gorgeous. Yeah, it’s not great, but that was the only representation many of us had, and we LOVED it - despite its many, many flaws. It was chance to revisit the movie we love, and reframe the narrative from an entirely queer lens. We dared to ask, “What if everyone in the show was gay?” and that’s exactly what we sought to find out.

So, dear audience member, as you watch the show, keep in mind that it is the product of an entirely queer cast and crew, working together to push the boundaries of our licensing agreement and create something uniquely our own while staying true to the spirit of the original story.

For many queer people, the road to self discovery is littered with loved ones we hurt along the way. The individual reasons for this are varied, but generally speaking, we felt that we had to be guarded and distant to navigate the world post AIDS epidemic. It’s how many of us learned to survive the dragons and bullies who challenged our existence. It wasn’t until gay marriage was legalized nationwide in 2016 that many of us found the security and freedom to become the dragon slayers we never had growing up.

That is the lens through which we examine Sebastian, a tragic figure who only learns what it means to truly love someone as his sordid past races toward him, and his destructive step sister, Kathryn, who watches on with delight.

We hope you enjoy our take on this iconic story of seduction, manipulation, and deceit. And carry with you the lesson that our characters learn too late- That you are worthy of love and perfect, exactly as you are, and that behind every cruel intention, lies a wounded, lonely heart.

Happy hunting!