‘90s Kids Can Relive Their Youths with Cruel Intentions and Frankie J. Grande

Big Brother-alum and LGBT force of nature Frankie J. Grande has joined the cast of the stage musical version of Cruel Intentions. Grande takes on the role of Blaine Tuttle — made famous on the big screen by Joshua Jackson — as of Sunday, March 18 at (Le) Poisson Rouge.

Grande — who is also known for appearing on Celebrity Big Brother UK and for being the brother of pop star Ariana Grande — began his Broadway career in Mamma Mia! and most recently starred in a production Rock of Ages. Some of his other Off-Broadway credits include turns in the parody Pageant and a regional production of Crazy For You, in which he played the toe-tapping lead role of Bobby Child. Grande has also participated as a producer in several Broadway productions, including Hamlet starring Jude Law, La Bête starring David Hyde Pierce, and Born Yesterday starring Jim Belushi.

Featuring popular pop and rock hits of the ‘90s from bands including No Doubt, *NSYNC, Counting Crows and more, Cruel intentions: The Musical is based on Roger Kumble’s 1999 cult-hit film (which was, itself, adapted from the novel and film Dangerous Liasons). Punctuated by songs such as Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle” and The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony”, the plot follows manipulative step-siblings Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil, who place a bet on whether or not Sebastian can charm Annette Hargrove — the incoming headmaster’s daughter — into giving up her innocence to him. Along the way, the step-siblings find themselves as both players and pawns in a vicious game of emotional manipulation.

The Cruel Intentions musical debuted in 2015 at The Rockwell Table & Stage in Los Angeles, where it ran for 38 sold-out performances. A second sold-out run at LA’s Prospect Theatre took place in November 2016. The piece’s current surge in popularity began in February 2017, when the musical played a “pop-up” engagement at (Le) Poisson Rouge. Due to popular demand, the show was re-introduced in November 2017 for a 10-week run and has been extended multiple times.

Want Metrosource LGBTQ content notifications? Sign up for MetroEspresso.