This isn’t a sponsored post.
BrumHour saw The Bodyguard at the invite of The Alexandra.
For Brum Radio’s Interval Theatre, actor Ayden Callaghan talks about his role in the UK Tour of The Bodyguard. Listen below:
By Dave Massey twitter.com/BrumHour
Review: The Bodyguard at The Alexandra
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Fantastic!
Directed by Thea Sharrock, book by Alexander Dinelaris, based on the screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan
Frank Farmer (Ayden Callaghan), an experienced bodyguard, is hired after an unnamed stalker (Marios Nicolaides) starts targeting international pop sensation Rachel Marron (Emily Williams), in this theatre version of the massive 1990s film starring Whitney Houston.
I mention the late Whitney Houston as this musical features plenty of songs previously performed by Whitney including her original tracks from the Bodyguard film. Nearly all of these tracks are sung as performances rather than characters bursting into song to progress the plot. On the one hand, this gives us very big and quite stunning numbers but on the other, it means the plot can seem pretty sparse at times. Pausing for most of a song to be featured.
Emily Williams is so good in the role of Rachel, running her life on her rules and avoiding disruptions, she belts out those songs with ease and confidence. She’s not here to be Whitney Houston, she’s here to be Rachel Marron. And she more than achieves this. Ayden Callaghan is excellent as Frank, though he could have been an English Bodyguard and it wouldn’t have made a huge difference. The rest of the cast is excellent too, with Emily-Mae shining as Nicki and a stunning ensemble. Marios Nicolaides earns his panto style boos in the curtain call as the menacing stalker.
The sets and the costumes move and change with ease and there are several onstage costume changes which are excellent. This production uses plenty of projection at important moments to add to the tension and drama. The great music also plays an important role in this story, smoothly switching us from serious to lighter and back again.
For someone who hasn’t seen the film, the tone might seem a little confusing and this means that those attending as plus ones might be a little confused.
A fantastic production, The Bodyguard is at The Alexandra until 30th December 2023. Book tickets here: atgtickets.com/shows/the-bodyguard/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham.
