The Bodyguard 💿

#PRInvite #Gifted | You don't know the life of a showgirl, babe - and you're never gonna wanna. From a real-life showgirl to a fictional one: Rachel Marron is back in town in 'The Bodyguard', giving new meaning to Whitney Houston classics.

Star rating: ★★★★★

After a few months away from the theatre, I have been ‘saving all my love for’ the latest UK tour of ‘The Bodyguard’. The show has taken over His Majesty’s Theatre this week and had audiences dancing in the aisles last night. Making a return visit to Aberdeen Performing Arts, ‘The Bodyguard’ is a well-oiled machine now and a firm crowd pleaser - with fictional pop icon ‘Rachel Marron’ delighting audiences with Whitney Houston hits. The 2012 stage musical derives from the 1992 film of the same name - and the production has enjoyed two glittering stints in London’s West End, a US tour, and has voyaged up and down the country four times. It has also become an international hit: popping up around Europe, Asia, Canada and Australia. It’s hard to deny its success - after all, it’s got that stuff that you want, things that you need, and more than enough to make you drop to your knees.

Following six years in development, ‘The Bodyguard’ musical was confirmed only a few days after the death of Whitney Houston. The show is based on the original film - which features the late Queen of Pop in the role of Rachel Marron - with a few embellishments to the script to expand the role of Rachel’s sister, Nicki. Fans of the film are in for a treat, with a homage to the source material but with additional twists which will undoubtedly surprise audiences, as I overheard with audible gasps and mumbles last night. Like the original film, the musical features the music of the late pop icon and reimagines the emotional integrity behind each song for the stage.

Rachel Marron is the Queen of the Night: a rising star preparing to collect her first Academy Award. As her stardom rises, so too the risks involved with fame become more apparent. Rachel’s team have growing concerns about a male suspect breaking into Rachel’s dressing room, stealing costumes and writing ransom notes. They employ the help of Frank Farmer as the star’s bodyguard, but a stubborn Rachel refuses to cooperate. Soon experiencing the alarming symptoms of her stalker, Rachel has no alternative but to accept extra precautions, under the condition that her young son, Fletcher, is unaware of the danger everyone faces. Without being able to live a normal life, or go on any dates, Rachel instigates a romantic spark between her and her Bodyguard - and this relationship goes on to jeopardise the safety of Rachel, her team, and her family.

Featuring not only a gripping story, ‘The Bodyguard’ takes on the discography of Whitney Houston. Audiences will be all too familiar with the musical numbers, including ‘How Will I Know’, ‘I’m Every Woman’, ‘One Moment in Time’ and ‘All The Man That I Need’. A particular favourite of mine is the Mayan Medley in the middle of Act 1 - featuring three high-intensity clublike arrangements. The show reaches its conclusion with her biggest hits: ‘I Will Always Love You’ and ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’.

Making its quartern return to theatres around the UK, this production is the refreshed version audiences were treated to in 2023. Tim Hatley has enhanced the original set with a very gentle facelift and additional decorations. The set is clever, using projections and curtain masking in a way no other UK tour is currently doing, and is complimented with incredible lighting design by Mark Henderson. My only critique regarding the production design falls to some of the dated X-Factor styled video animations. If these are being changed for each Rachel Marron, I think it’s time we take her initial entrance into the new age.

Sidonie Smith was sensational as Rachel. Naturally belting out a Whitney ballad, often ‘The Bodyguard’ is a masterclass in melisma, but with Sidonie Smith, it felt different. For the most part, each note and vocal ornament was carefully calculated to have a much more powerful impact. A challenging sing, most of Smith’s performance was effortless, minus the occasional few phrases where I wished for better care. Close your eyes during the softer moments, though, and I could have been convinced I was listening to Beyonce.

Unusual for a production of ‘The Bodyguard’, the casting strategy - directed by Beth Eden - has been shaken up. Unlike previous productions, the role of Rachel Marron is not star-casted and this was an interesting move. The book, written by Alexander Dinelaris, is slightly superficial when it comes to depicting stardom - and this was particularly noticeable without a celebrity casting. Previously, audiences have watched the likes of Beverley Knight, Alexandra Burke, Zoe Birkett and Pussycat Doll, Melody Thornton, in the role - and controversially, I will argue this adds a more substantial and believable quality to the show. Only two years on from the previous tour, I got the impression no other household name was available for the current tour; and whilst Sidonie Smith was fantastic in the role, that in itself may suggest the show needed a longer resting hiatus before heading back out on tour so soon. Having someone in the role, with Rachel’s level of fame in their own right, allows the audience to connect with the fictional celebrity in a much richer fashion than I was able to last night.

Centering around Rachel Marron’s rise to stratospheric success, ‘The Bodyguard’ delivers tensome in both its emotional capacity and contemporary concert staging. The show expertly fuses the Whitney Houston performance experience with moments of Rachel Marron’s vulnerability, with the audience getting a glimpse into the life of a showgirl, and a chance to truly believe Rachel Marron is a force to be reckoned with simultaneously. The show is completed with pyrotechnics, confetti and fire and truly transports audiences into a concert setting.

The visuals of the show are simple, but epic. Hatley heads the costume design alongside Beverley Chorlton supervising hair, wigs and make-up. When Rachel is performing, you really do feel like you are watching a star; beautifully contrasted with Rachel's costumes at home where we see her maternal side. There is a really effective moment in Act 2 where Rachel is dressed on stage looking completely broken and vulnerable, before putting on an incredible performance - and this non-verbal message of stardom is loud and clear.

Despite impressive vocals and the staging spectacle, and the fact that ‘The Bodyguard’ is a very established show, there were an abundance of mishaps on stage last night. It is difficult to criticise a touring company on their first performance in a new venue; but between fumbling over forgotten dialogue, moving set pieces getting stuck, and spotlights not hitting the marks on more times than one: mistakes were very noticeable. The irony of Rachel’s sister, Nicki, singing gorgeously in the dark was not lost - for her character is fatefully ‘to walk in anyone’s shadow’. 

Sasha Monique plays Nicki, a slow burning character, but one which is more developed than in the film. Monique’s vocals were stunning, and just like her character, she was the underdog of the night. Beside Smith, the pair have a gorgeous rendition of ‘Run To You’, which is a highlight within the show.

Adam Garcia returns to the His Majesty’s Theatre stage as Frank Farmer. His performance of ‘I Will Always Love You’ was hair-raising and one that will stick with me forever.

‘The Bodyguard’ is sure to amaze audiences this week, and is definitely a firm favourite of mine. It has become a comfort show for me - having seen it all four times at Aberdeen Performing Arts, each time noticing something different and still feeling hooked on the rising tension. With another jukebox musical on its way in next week, be sure to catch this one whilst you can!

Credits

Instagram links: @theatregramuk, @aberdeenperformingarts, @thebodyguarduk

Review by Joel Simpson cc: theatregram@gmail.com

Production photos supplied by Aberdeen Performing Arts