From the moment those first shots fired out causing every man, woman and child let out a yelp in shock The Bodyguard – The Musical had me gripped. At times you felt like you were at a pop concert, the staging and use of screen visuals alongside the intertwining of Whitney Houston’s songs really was a treat for a Monday night!
Who doesn’t know and love The Bodyguard, a classic 90’s movie full of iconic songs and scenes that you talk about forever. It’s probably Kevin Costner’s best film, that moment when he rescues Whitney Houston sweeps her up in his arms and carries her to safety, the musical has big shoes to fill. Thankfully though without letting out too many spoilers if you get the chance to see The Bodyguard – The Musical you won’t be disappointed (yes they do this iconic moment in a very clever way.)
So what do you need to know?
The Bodyguard – The Musical stars Zoe Birkett (ITV’s Pop Idol, The Great British Bake Off Musical) as superstar Rachel Marron performing not one but numerous Whitney Houston classics including Queen of the Night, So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, Run to You, I Have Nothing, Greatest Love Of All, Million Dollar Bill, I Wanna Dance With Somebody and of course – I Will Always Love You. Zoe’s voice is incredible and she is an undeniable talent. But what I loved the most was that she didn’t try to be or sound like Whitney Houston she made each performance her own. The character was well developed with a lovely mix of vulnerable downtime (which was matched by her costumes) and vibrant singing and dancing when in show mode. At times you felt like you were at Rachel Marron’s concert.
Ayden Callaghan (I had a crush on him in Hollyoaks, but who didn’t the Roscoe’s were the best family!) plays Former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, hired to protect Rachel from an unknown stalker. Frank’s character in places for me was a little wooden (sorry) and I didn’t always feel like the connection with Rachel hit the spot.
For me, the stalker, despite his lack of actual spoken words, was really intense and could scare the pants off you in places. Emily-Mae who played Rachel’s sister Nicki Marron also a huge powerhouse of a voice taking on some of Whitney’s songs again bringing her own take on them brought a different dimension to the story (sorry no spoilers here). Massive shoutout to Ryo Appadu who is living his best life! Ryo is one of 4 boys alternating the role of Rachel’s son Fletcher, he is someone to watch out for! Fantastic singer, dancer and performer, we absolutely loved him.
The Bodyguard – The Musical is performing at Bournemouth Pavilion from Monday 7th August until Saturday 12. August 2023.
Disclaimer: I was provided with free tickets from BH Live in order to write this review. Opinions are mine and mine alone.
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I’d love to watch this!The film is one of my favourites and you can’t go wrong with the soundtrack 🙂