Book: Alexander Dinelaris
Director: Thea Sharrock
Back in November 1992, Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner starred in Warner Bros. film “The Bodyguard”, a film that went on to have massive success and showcased some of Houston’s classic songs. This stage adaptation follows suit, providing us with hit after hit in a seamless fashion! The audience are given a warning at the start of the performance not to join in with the songs, which can be quite difficult, but fear not the chance to dance and singalong comes at the end!
What the audience aren’t given any warning to is the gun shot that kick starts the first scene! There were audible gasps from around the theatre and you knew instantly that the show would be hard hitting, intense and full of drama! The opening musical number allows us to meet Rachel Marron (Melody Thornton) doing what she does best – putting on a show! There is a concert like feel to the number, with flashing lights, dazzling costumes and amazing choreography, not to mention great vocals! Thornton is a former member of girl group The Pussycat Dolls and was seen more as a backing dancer than a vocalist, however in this production she shows why she deserves to be centre stage!
Playing the role of Rachel’s sister, Nikki Marron, is the unbelievably talented Emily-Mae. She makes you feel a range of emotions while watching her portrayal of the woman who lives in her sisters shadow. This is certainly not the case in reality though, as Emily-Mae’s vocals were sensational and she absolutely shone on stage! She makes her songs look effortless and makes the character Nikki relatable. Whenever she was on the stage she commanded it and her acting equally matched her vocals. A simply stunning performance!
The staging and set design is very cleverly thought out. The use of curtains to section off different parts of the Marron household is simple but so effective, as it gives off the illusion that the characters are walking from room to room. The use of videos being projected on to screens throughout the duration of the show also works really well, most notably when the Stalker (Marios Nicolaides) is about to shoot Rachel and points a laser to the image of her face, resulting in the image shattering.
There are several stand out moments in the show, one of which is Frank (Ayden Callaghan) singing “I Will Always Love You”. This was a really funny moment and showed a light heartedness to the character that you don’t really get to see much. Callaghan plays the role of the bodyguard well, with a hard hitting, no nonsense approach, that makes you believe no one would get past him. However, he does show a softer side when it comes to Rachel’s son Fletcher (Iesa Miller). Miller is perfectly cast in the role of Fletcher and is a total scene stealer, showing off his talent for acting, singing and he also has some fabulous dance moves!
Credit must be given to the amazing ensemble who perform their dance routines with ease! The choreography is brilliant from start to finish, but a stand out routine comes during the song “I’m Every Woman” where features a lot of partner work and some incredible lifts! The ensemble are an absolute joy to watch and whenever they are on it the stage comes alive.
During the performance there was an emergency in the auditorium and the show had to be stopped while an ambulance was called. The cast were extremely professional and didn’t let it phase their performances. The show ends with Thornton performing a sensational version of “I Will Always Love You” and then it’s during the bows that the audience get to dance and sing along with the Whitney classic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. While all of the gave incredible performances, it was the nurse sat watching the show that rushed to the aid of the audience member who fell ill who was the real “Queen of the Night” in my eyes!
Runs until 25 March 2023