Nottingham Royal Concert Hall – until Saturday 11 July 2026
Reviewed by Louise Ford
4****
Starts with a bang … ends with everyone on their feet!
The original film of The Bodyguard came out in 1992, and was Whitney Houston’s acting debut. It was a massive success both financially and musically. It also had an iconic film poster, all grey and dramatic. So I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen the original film, although my theatre buddy had seen it. I felt that I knew the plot: diva, stalker, romance, but there were a couple of surprises and twists in the musical.
The original screenplay was written by Lawrence Kasdan in 1975. It had a couple of false starts before becoming the hit movie starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. With all of the great songs in the original film and other Houston hits, it was inevitable that the film would become a musical. It took twenty years for the screenplay to be adapted into a musical and it debuted in the West End in 2012. The adaptation was by Alexander Dinelaris, directed by Thea Sharrock, the choreography is by Karen Bruce and the set and costume design is by Tim Hatley. The musical gives centre stage to the songs and energetic dance routines.
So lights, music, pyrotechnics and we are off, with a bang! No spoilers here, but the audience all left their seats in surprise!
The production is visually impressive with lighting by Mark Henderson and video design by Duncan McLean. The use of video and projection helped avoid too many scene changes and provided a cinematic touch to the production.
The star of the show and filling Whitney’s singing boots was Mireia Mambo as Rachel Marron. The role demands not only powerful vocals but also great dancing skills. Mireia has a great stage presence and she was sensational. Opposite Rachel is the titular hero, played by Adam Garcia as Frank Farmer. Farmer is a brooding character who is struggling with a mistake on a previous job. The initial reluctance by Frank to take the job and Rachel’s dislike of having her freedom curtailed leads to romantic feelings, which increases the risk from the stalker. The menacing stalker was ably played by James-Lee Harris.
The role of Rachel’s sister, Nicki Marron, is powerfully played by Sasha Monique. The role of Rachel’s son, Fletcher, is played by Mason Dyett. At only nine years old, he has a great stage presence and is clearly having a fab time. The ensemble adds to the whole show with their energy and great dancing.
Whilst at times the dialogue is a bit clunky and the scenery mechanism seemed to be struggling in the heat, the production moved at quite a pace, and before we knew it we were at the climax, with the iconic ‘I will always love you’ filling the auditorium.
It’s a high-energy performance with a fitting finale, ’ I wanna dance with somebody’.