Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
This new production of The Bodyguard, based on the 1992 Warner Bros film starring Whitney Houston with the best-selling movie soundtrack of all time, comes with a strong message at Manchester’s Palace Theatre. Signs at the bar and pre-show announcements instruct audience members to refrain from singing along until the encore. It’s a message that shouldn’t be taken personally, and the audience certainly shifted into full ‘jukebox musical’ mode at the end of the show, when singing along was positively encouraged.
The stage musical adheres closely to the original, easy-to-follow movie storyline. A former Secret Service Agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect global superstar, Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. However, writer Alexander Dinelaris has expanded the soundtrack to incorporate many more of Whitney Houston’s hits. Expect songs like ‘I Have Nothing’, ‘Queen of the Night’, ‘Run to You’ and ‘I Will Always Love You’ from the movie soundtrack as well as Whitney classics like ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, ‘One Moment in Time’ and ‘How Will I Know’.
Melody Thornton, of The Pussycat Dolls, steps into Rachel Marron’s shoes but never manages to quite fill them. A powerful vocalist, but not a triple threat, some of the scenes between Rachel and Frank, played by Ayden Callaghan, lacked any romantic alchemy. Emily-Mae as Rachel’s talented, though overlooked, sister Nicki brought a stand-out performance – rich and soulful – delivering a sensational duet with Thornton during ‘Run to You’.
The show opens with a bang (quite literally) with impressive full-scale pyrotechnics to make the audience gasp, and comes down with a euphoric encore as the audience bound to their feet to join the cast in belting out Whitney’s glorious hits. However, it all feels like two pieces of bread lacking a good filling.
The Bodyguard dishes up all of the songs we know and love. A crowd-pleasing night at the theatre.
-Kristy Stott
The Bodyguard runs at the Palace Theatre, Manchester until 15 April 2023 before touring until 30 December 2023.