The Bodyguard – Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

It’s been over a decade since the tragic death of Whitney Houston, but that voice remains unmistakable.  Setting a new standard for female vocalists, Houston in her prime was an effortless yet formidable force that dominated the charts in the 80s and 90s and became an idol to millions.  The 1992 film “The Bodyguard” captured her at arguably the peak of her power and gave the world a soundtrack that remains the highest-selling film soundtrack of all time.  Combining that soundtrack with Houston’s own classic back catalogue of hits, the stage adaption of “The Bodyguard” fleshes out the romantic thriller as a musical, and plays at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre this week, with former Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton as its lead.

Rachel Marron (Thornton) is one of the biggest superstars on the planet, idolised by millions of fans worldwide, and finds herself the target of an obsessed stalker (Marios Nicolaides).  After a series of threatening letters and a break-in, her team enlist the protection of stone-faced bodyguard Frank Farmer (Ayden Callaghan), who vows to never let her out of his sight.  Fearing also for the safety of her son Fletcher (Reneo Kusi-Appauh) and sister Nicki (Emily-Mae), Rachel reluctantly goes along with Frank’s tough restrictions on her lifestyle.  With an Oscar campaign in full swing by her PR Manager Cy (James Groom), and the stalker inching ever closer, tensions run high as Rachel and Frank’s romantic feelings for each other threaten to put her in mortal danger.

The film is one of those 90s cliché-ridden-but-beloved romantic thrillers that haven’t aged brilliantly well and translating it to stage gives it some much-needed energy and spark.  It also shines a better spotlight on those incredible songs, generally only heard fleetingly in the film, but given full production numbers on the stage.  Lawrence Kasdan’s original screenplay (adapted by Alexander Dinelaris) remains mostly intact with all of the key plot points remaining, but fleshing out Nicki Marron’s role which is a big narrative improvement.  The show falters a little with an uneven tone that can’t decide if it wants to be deadly serious or wryly playful, with a few attempts at comedy not really landing and some clunky dialogue clearly only included to fill time to allow scene changes behind the curtain.  But visually the show is impressive, with lighting (Mark Henderson) and video design (Duncan McLean) feeling suitably cinematic, along with some fantastic costumes (Tim Hatley, also set designer).  Although the main framing of the stage is well done, the performance space itself looks sparse at times, needing either a bit more scenery or a few more bodies to fill it.  Said bodies perform Karen Bruce’s choreography brilliantly, and add real drive to up-tempo numbers, with just the right amount of raunch.  Overall, director Thea Sharrock gives Whitney fans what they want, a simple unchallenging story that trots along nicely, delivers a few more menacing moments effectively, and puts the music front and centre, allowing it to speak for itself.

Rachel Marron is all about The Voice, and comparisons with Houston are inevitable.  Stepping into those shoes is like climbing Mount Everest for any singer, and singing just one of her songs is challenging enough, let alone over a dozen, some with accompanying choreography.  Melody Thornton gives a really solid try, certainly dancing it brilliantly and doing a decent acting job too (Houston wasn’t the strongest actress either).  Thornton is certainly a competent singer, mostly delivering the vocals (although there are some notes just outside of her comfortable reach), but she tries to oversing it, playing with the notes too much and becoming more Mariah than Whitney.  More notes don’t always equal a better sound, and Thornton would give a more assured performance by reining it in.  Ironically, Emily-Mae as sister Nicki is arguably the better singer, relying less on trills and flourishes, and delivering simple but top-class vocals in her numbers.  Ayden Callaghan is saddled with the somewhat thankless role of super-serious Frank but he still does well, believably commanding when he needs to be and effectively bringing glimpses of the bodyguard’s underlying personality and humour.

Certainly one of the better jukebox musicals, “The Bodyguard” celebrates a pop icon and turns a somewhat ploddy film into an enjoyable stage experience.  Dialogue could be sharper, and Thornton doesn’t quite match Houston’s impossible vocal standard, but it’s a fun and feelgood excuse to hear those pop classics brought to life again.  Just don’t sing along…

‘The Bodyguard’ runs at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday 13^th May 2023, before continuing its UK note.

Performance runtime 2 hours 25 minutes

Cast Note – Melody Thornton performs the role of Rachel Marron at evening performances only.

https://www.grandtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/the-bodyguard-2/

Reviewer: Rob Bartley

Reviewed: 9^th May 2023

North West End UK Rating: