This Monday was certainly an interesting one as I got invited to the press night of The Bodyguard the New Wimbledon Theatre. It may shock you to hear this, but I’ve never seen the 90’s classic starring the late Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. Of course I’m aware of Houston’s stratospheric cover of I Will Always Love You along with many other iconic songs that transferred to real life success. Starting life in the West End with the likes of Heather Headley, Beverley Knight and Alexandra Burke taking on as Rachel Marron, now Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton plays the role in the 2023 UK tour.
The Bodyguard
Cast
- Rachel Marron: Melody Thornton
- Fred Farmer: Ayden Callaghan
- Nikki Marron: Emily-Mae
- Sy Spector: James Groom
- Bill Devaney: John McCaulay
- Tony: Graham Elwell
- The Stalker: Mario Nicolaides
- Fletcher: Reneo Kusi-Appauh
Rating: ★★★
What is The Bodyguard about?
Grammy winning pop star Rachel Marron is being stalked and things are starting to look serious. Her team hire former Secret Service agent Fred Farmer as her new bodyguard to her frustration and denial Despite butting heads at first, a romance blossoms between the two as her career changing Oscars campaign takes a near deadly turn.
What were my thoughts on The Bodyguard?
As I never watched The Bodyguard film, I can’t judge it as an adaptation so it was probably good I brought my mum along who’s seen it hundreds of times. Judging her verdict, it mostly paid respect to it. While billed as a romantic thriller opening with a shootdown and fiery performance of Queen of the Night, I felt Alexander Dinelaris’s book left more to be desired with the rest of the plot. That’s not to say I wasn’t at the edge of my seat or laughing at the right moments, but I felt the story veered into cheesy territory with the pacing being too slow or rushed.
As a result of the above along with some interesting choices in Tim Hateley’s sets and costumes with distracting projections that inadvertently caused me to notice the performers running offstage during the iconic bridal carry moment, it left potentially engaging characters and the main romance to feel one note, none of which is the actor’s fault. Its pacing issues can also be due to the songs taking over a lot of the running time, but I’ll dive into more now.
What were the songs like?
I’m fully aware The Bodyguard’s film soundtrack, but what I wasn’t expecting was the show to use other songs from Whitney Houston’s repertoire. Alarm bells may be ringing for some due to the jukebox musical’s poor reputation, but I found it made sense as most people associate the film with Whitney Houston. Instead of the traditional musical formula, most of them are used for moments where Rachel performs in a concert, recording booth, karaoke bar (used for a funny effect as screeching girls deter the audience from singing along) or taking notes on her next song.
I do appreciate the consistency throughout instead of suddenly veering into musical territory, and I enjoyed many of them including a medley of I Wanna With Somebody, So Emotional and Million Dollar Bill, I Have Nothing and One Moment in Time. However, it also came with the problem of taking over the plot, almost as if they were written around the story instead of being incorporated in a meaningful way. Did that ruin my enjoyment of them? While I felt Karen Bruce’s oddly stilted choreography didn’t give the songs the energy they needed, no.
What was the cast like?
While not the best written characters, the cast do their best to give them personality when possible. Having a powerhouse voice and her sassy moments, I felt Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton was a bit out of depth in the more emotional scenes, which isn’t to say she doesn’t try in them. Ayden Callaghan (Emmerdale) also does his best to bring charm to the stoic and unfeeling Frank Farmer who softens over time, bringing a Johnny Cash style voice to his version of I Will Always Love You with great comedic effect.
My personal standout was honestly Emily-Mae as the overlooked sister Nicki Marron. Also possessing a gorgeous voice in a version of Saving All My Love For You, her natural charm and charisma made me wish The Bodyguard was about her. Other performers I loved included James Groom as Rachel’s flamboyant publicist Sy Spector, John McCaulay as Tony and Mario Leonaides as the (very handsome) creepy Stalker with very chiseled abs as the audience saw at one needlessly gratiutous point.
At the performance I saw, Reneo Kusi-Appauh played Rachel’s son Fletcher, bringing a sweetness that worked well with Bill’s stoicness while showing off hs amazing singing and dancing skills.
What were my overall thoughts?
I have seen much worse screen to stage adaptations, but The Bodyguard is mostly a mixed bag. While featuring some good performances from the supporting cast and fun versions of Whitney Houston’s classic songs, it’s in the book and main performances where I had issues. Is there a good version of The Bodyguard in there? Absolutely. Although given the poor theatre ettiquette I witnessed, some people need to learn it’s not a Whitney Houston tribute act.
The Bodyguard runs at the new Wimbledon Theatre until March 11.
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