Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical heads to Canberra Theatre, adding a nostalgic soundtrack to the shocking tale of teenage sex lives

The sexy Cruel Intentions role was not only new to the Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress, but it was a new role for teen films as a whole. And it was a during this new type of performance, where this deceptive Upper East Side teenager gave a monologue to her stepbrother Sebastian (Ryan Phillipe), that touched on themes that perhaps were a little ahead of their time.

"It's OK for guys like you and Court to f*** everyone. But when I do it, I get dumped for innocent little twits like Cecile. God forbid, I exude confidence and enjoy sex.

"Do you think I relish the fact that I have to act like Mary Sunshine 24/7 so I can be considered a lady? I'm the Marcia f***ing Brady of the Upper East Side, and sometimes I want to kill myself. So there's your psychoanalysis, Dr Freud."

Next month sees Kirby Burgess steps into the role, projecting that same anti-slut-shaming feminism (albeit, from the point of view of the villain) when Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical heads the Canberra Theatre Centre.

For the actor - and she says, also for the audience - it's a chance to revisit that stance and question how much of Kathryn's title of villain is based on what she does and how much of it is based on societal expectations of what women should and should not do.

"Cruel Intentions humanises mistakes. And I think that's something that particularly a lot of films in the '90s didn't do," Burgess says.

"The '90s were all about the rom-com of a nerdy girl that meets someone and then they make her beautiful and then she gets the guy.

"Whereas this role of Kathryn, particularly for the time, has these great speeches that lean so much into, why am I getting villainised for acting the same as my brother? No one cares if he does it, but I get dumped by all the boys and nobody likes me because I'm acting exactly like you.

"At the time, it was the first feminist speech in a teenage movie. It's quite groundbreaking really. And I think people probably didn't appreciate it for what it was back then."

Cruel Intentions was a film known for its shock value. Following Kathryn and the bet she makes with Sebastian about whether or not he can sleep with the headmaster's daughter, Annette (Reese Witherspoon), the film centred around the ruined reputations and the sex lives of rich teens.

It was a little dirty, a little dangerous and featured a steamy kiss between Kathryn (Gellar) and her protege Cecile (Selma Blair). It was the kind of film that, as a teen, you didn't want your parents to know you'd seen.

And in a lot of ways, it's more shocking now than it was in 1999. Especially, according to Burgess, when it comes to some of the language used.

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"It's good to remember that it was the '90s because there are some themes displayed like homophobia and sexism, that when you watch it now it's really uncomfortable," she says.

"We talked a lot about that in rehearsals because it still needs to be a part of the show because it does show who certain characters are and because there are still people like that who are either homophobic or racist or any of the above.

"But there are some lines that we've even softened in terms of language because you can still make the point without saying some of the dialogue that was in the film that is almost too much to say now.

"Some of the language was so common back then and it wasn't thought of as awful, it was just how people spoke. And now we've learned, we know a lot better, we're smarter, we're more socially aware."

What the stage show does have that the film does not, however - as indicated in the title - is the musical element.

The soundtrack really brings out some '90s nostalgic gems including Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve, Bye Bye Bye by *NSYNC, Sometimes by Britney Spears, Just A Girl by No Doubt, Genie In A Bottle by Christina Aguilera, Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls, I'll Make Love To You by Boyz II Men, and more.

For Burgess, it's a chance for her character to have some one-on-one time with the audience to make a case for her actions - through song.

And for producer David Venn, the music was a way of elevating an already iconic story.

"What we do in the show is we take all the amazing parts of the movie, and then elevate them and heighten them all by mashing them together with some of the most iconic '90s songs of the decade," he says.

"The outcome is an experience that makes people laugh. It doesn't take itself too seriously.

"When I launched this project ... there was so much going on in the world that was so heavy, and so the whole approach with this show was to really make it something that is just pure entertainment, where people don't have to come and think too hard."

Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical is at the Canberra Theatre Centre from October 5 to 8. Tickets from canberratheatre.com.au.

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