The Bodyguard - The Musical

The Bodyguard is back and it's on at the Grand Theatre Wolverhampton.

The adaptation of the 1992 movie starring the late Whitney Houston had its first performance in 2012. The book by Alexander Dinelaris remains true to the original script. Former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired as a bodyguard to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge–what they don’t expect is to fall in love. It's a very typical Hollywood romance, fuelled by anger and attraction.

This production stars Pussycat Doll, and multi-platinum Grammy-nominated Melody Thornton as Rachel Marron and Ayden Callaghan (Emmerdale, Hollyoaks) as Frank Farmer. Callaghan plays the brooding and elusive Bodyguard with impressive accuracy, whilst Melody channels her inner popstar (a role she knows first-hand).

Although there is a lot of exciting tension in the musical, there are also moments of humour to lighten the mood. A stand-out moment of this is the bar scene, where Farmer reluctantly agrees to turn his hand to karaoke. He delivers the song with impressive comedic timing. There are also some sensational dance numbers in the show courtesy of choreographer Karen Bruce.

This show even throws in extra songs that the original movie does not but do not fear, there are many of the classics in the show. You can expect to hear ‘Queen of the Night’, ‘I have nothing,’ ‘I’m every woman’ and, of course, ‘I will always love you’. The band was incredibly directed by Sam Hall. They played these well-known and much-loved songs very well.

The theatricality of this show was second to none. It was full of suspense, drama, and dazzling scenes. The opening number ‘Queen of the Night’ featured flashes of fire whilst ‘How Will I Know’ was a more laidback, rehearsal-style performance. Praise should also be extended to the hair and costume departments led by Campbell Young and Tim Hatley who helped to bring the show to life.

Before the performance, there was an initial announcement reminding the audience to not sing along with the songs during the show. They noted there would be an opportunity to do so at the end. This was a reminder to all that those who perform in the theatre deserve respect and courtesy. At the end it was great fun to join in and sing ‘How Will I Know’, the audience was up on their feet.

There was a cast change this evening with Ray Court being played by Jack Hardwick. This entire cast was phenomenal, every member shone. They were exceptional and a credit to this show. I didn’t know if it could live up to the movie and I’m very happy to say my expectations were exceeded.

The Bodyguard is a wonderful production, ideal for a night out with friends. The audience was mesmerised by the performances and standing ovations were granted. This is for fans of the film or Whitney. It's on at The Grand Theatre Wolverhampton until Saturday 13th May. Tickets are available at the following link https://www.grandtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/the-bodyguard-2/