JADAR

★★★☆☆

The Bodyguard was the first show I ever reviewed twice, and now it’s the first show I have reviewed thrice. I’m not much of a repeat watcher, especially for a cheap jukebox musical, but the casts keep calling me back. The previous UK tours have been led by The X Factor winner Alexandra Burke and Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton as Rachel Marron, and now 00s heartthrob and musical theatre icon Adam Garcia gets top billing as the titular bodyguard. Ahead of my third time reviewing the show, I decided to finally watch the film upon which it is based to give this review a different (comparative) angle.

The Bodyguard follows a bodyguard (duh) who takes on a job protecting a pop superstar from a stalker, leading to romance. The stage musical uses the Whitney Houston songs from the iconic film on which it is based but does away with the songs by other artists, such as Lisa Stansfield, instead opting to be a Whitney Houston jukebox musical. Most of the songs compliment the story quite well, such as Rachel singing ‘Greatest Love of All’ when considering the impact that the stalker and security are having on her son, Fletcher (Cale Cole at our performance): “I believe the children are the future.” As Rachel sings, “Never to walk in anyone’s shadow,” her overshadowed sister, Nicki, walks onstage, behind her, in an excellent example of attention to detail.

The case for some of the songs is a bit weaker but they never feel too shoehorned in, and it’s a joy to hear so many Whitney classics.

Rachel is usually played by a famous singer, which is not just star casting but also poetic and meta, with a singer playing another singer, who was first played by the greatest singer there ever was. This production, however, decided to cast an established musical theatre star in the role (I guess Adam Garcia doesn’t come cheap so the remaining budget was not big enough to cast another star!). I welcomed this announcement because the show had the opportunity to cast a musical theatre-trained actress who can better pull off Whitney’s difficult songs.

Whilst Sidonie Smith has an incredible voice, it seems more suited to Tina Turner than Whitney Houston, and she sometimes sounded like she was trying too hard, which is understandable because Whitney songs are incredibly difficult to sing, especially back to back for two hours. She sounded stronger in the second act; perhaps she was saving herself a little, especially for the signature song, ‘I Will Always Love You’, at the end of Act 2.

The actresses playing Rachel will always make it clear that they are playing Rachel, not Whitney. But Rachel is so strongly associated with Whitney that the link cannot be denied. Whitney was a superstar playing a superstar. Furthermore, by turning The Bodyguard into a Whitney jukebox musical, and having the Whitney/Rachel character sing almost all of the songs, the audience are obviously going to expect Whitney-esque vocals from Rachel. The production seems to deliberately be casting performers who do not sound like Whitney (from Alexandra’s low tones to Sidonie’s powerful growls) to distinguish between Rachel and Whitney, and perhaps so that audiences do not compare the performer to Whitney, but this is inevitable, so perhaps the show ought to cast performers whose voices have more than a passing resemblance to Whitney’s.

Adam Garcia does not get much to play around with as Frank. It’s interesting that they often cast famous musical theatre stars (such as the late great Ben Lewis) as a character who only sings once – badly. But it takes a very good singer to pull off good bad singing. His chemistry with Sidonie is not particularly convincing, but this arguably is more down to the writing and direction.

Sasha Monique is well cast as Rachel’s sister, Nicki, whose role is expanded in the show. She is more committed to her own music and develops feelings for Frank, establishing a love triangle with her own sister. In the film, it is revealed that “The Stalker” is not trying to kill Rachel but rather an assassin – paid for by Nicki! In the stage production, however, that plot line is uncomplicated, with “The Stalker” just being a crazed fan who became more intense in his pursuit of Rachel after Nicki wrote back to him, wanting to know what it’s like to be like Rachel. So, Nicki is not actively trying to get Rachel killed, even though she now has more of a motivation for wanting her out of the way.

Lee Gregory of Stagey Reviews made the astute observation that the actress cast as Nicki is often a stronger singer, or at least better suited to Whitney songs, which could be intentional to show that Nicki had the better voice but Rachel had the looks and star power. This reflects a plot point of another musical, Dreamgirls, which is based on Diana Ross and The Supremes, so this phenomenon is very much rooted in reality.

The cast includes Matt Milburn as Sy Spector, Rachel’s publicist; Bill Devaney, her manager; Jonathan Alden as Tony Sibelli, her head of security; James-Lee Harris as The Stalker; and Ryan Bennett as Ray Court, a CIA agent who Frank communicates with. It’s a strong supporting cast but none of them are given much to play around with. The characters in the film are more layered and interesting but here they just feel like decorations. This is not helped by the lack of singing from anyone other than Rachel and Nicki (and Frank, badly). Musicals use songs to delves into characters and progress the plot but the supporting cast are denied this opportunity, and their characters suffer because of it.

Alexander Dinelaris’ book, adapted from Lawrence Kasdan’s screenplay, could do with some fine-tuning. At first, the script is clunky and awkward, but it soon feels more even. There are a few funny moments, such as when a character asks “What’s gotten into her?” and a jealous Nicki responds, “Her bodyguard,” or when another character obliviously says, “Frank comes everywhere.”

Thea Sharrock’s direction occasionally feels a little sloppy, which is made more noticeable because it is usually pretty slick; there is a great use of space, and scene changes are seamless. On several occasions, characters appear upfront, with a curtain behind them, allowing the crew to change the set, but it always works well and feels natural. Scene changes are aided by Mark Henderson’s lighting, which successfully transforms the stage from Rachel’s minimalist home (whites and beiges – very Mariah or JLo!) into a fiery concert. Karen Bruce’s choreography during the concert numbers is fun but not the most memorable.

Tim Hatley makes the most of the limited budget he was given for his sets, which do the job. His costumes, however, are not fitting of The Bodyguard. They are very 2010s, and I appreciate that that is when the musical was created, but they need updating. I cannot imagine a star like Rachel wearing most of those unattractive, unflattering outfits. I mean, would Whitney?

The original film is cheesy, and this production seems to be paying homage to that with its unashamed campness, but it verges into cringiness and self-parody, especially with some of Duncan McLean’s video designs, some of which are even a bit blurry. The iconic scene in which Frank rescues Rachel and lifts her up, recreating the movie poster, is choreographed poorly. A screen then drops and a silhouette of the pair is projected on to it. The first time I saw the show, my friend and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. It feels very ’90s, and perhaps that’s the point, but the musical is set today so it should not feel so dated. Some of the other designs work much better.

The Bodyguard does what it needs to do – and, for all my criticisms, I had a good night – but it sometimes feels like a mediocre Whitney Houston tribute show: all bangers, no mash.

The Bodyguard The Musical runs at Palace Theatre Manchester until January 31 and tours the UK and Europe until August 29, with more dates to be announced.

Photo: Paul Coltas