We were lucky enough to be invited to review the return of The Bodyguard to Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre last night. The Bodyguard first did the rounds as a musical back in 2012 and has remained consistently popular, being nominated for four Olivier Awards and going on a sell out 18 month UK and Ireland tour.
In 2020 the show returns to the Birmingham stage with Alexandra Burke reprising her role of Rachel Marron and Ben Lewis as Frank Farmer the tough, weathered bodyguard bought in to protect Rachel against an obsessed and mysterious stalker.
I’m sure we’re all pretty familiar with the general story. The stage show makes a few changes from the 1992 film to better fit in with the theatre setting and does this well. What the show does really well throughout is the music and production.
The play starts with a rendition of Queen of the Night (in this writers opinion, the best tune from the film) and never lets up from there. The Bodyguard has no time for subtlety and throws the audience headfirst into the bright lights and loud music of Rachel Marron’s life and pursuit of recognition.
We’re treated to a huge range of Whitney Houston songs, including I Have Nothing, I’m Every Woman and One Moment In Time.
The crew making up the show is vast. The ensemble numbers 12 dancers/singers, and lurking backstage somewhere is a full live band as well.
The supporting cast do a wonderful job of framing the stars but the best support must go to Emmy Willow as Nicki Marron, Rachel’s sister and manager.
The role of Rachel’s son, Fletcher is shared between six different child actors; we were treated to Riotafari Gardner who was brilliant alongside his grown-up co-stars, holding his own in the singing and throwing some break-dancing our way as well. What is really noticeable from the entire cast is that when the music is playing and the dance numbers are under way, the cast look like they are having a blast and having loads of fun with each other. It really makes a difference in the enjoyment of the show.
The show clearly has very high standards when it comes to production values: I’ve already mentioned the full live band behind every song but you also have special effects throughout; video screens and much, much more. The opening number especially set the tone going forward – that of big songs and big effects. The set and costume designer, Tim Hatley deserves a mention as the set and costume designs in this show are brilliant. I am still unsure how Alexandra Burke manages to change her costumes so quickly.
We had a brilliant time, and by the end of the show, Alexandra, Riotafari and Emmy, along with the ensemble, had the theatre up, dancing and clapping, leaving the stage to a big standing ovation from the audience.
It is a phenomenal five star show and a real standout of musical theatre. I understand the show has mostly sold out already, but if you get a chance to see it at the Alex between now and February 1st we would strongly recommend picking up tickets if you’re able to.
Timings of the show are: Act One 55 min | 20 min interval | Act Two 56 min.
You can order food & drink to be delivered straight to your seat when you download the ATG Ordertorium app via Apple Store or Google Play and as a bonus, as well as avoiding queues, you will receive 10% off the Kiosk prices!
Verdict: 5 Stars!
Disclaimer : We were invited along to the press showing to give our honest review of the show. All thoughts and opinions are entirely our own. We loved it.