Review: THE BODYGUARD Musical tour, Bournemouth Pavilion
Last night we were invited to Bournemouth Pavilion for the opening night of The Bodyguard, which is in Bournemouth until Saturday 12th August, before it continues touring the UK until January 2024.
I remember seeing The Bodyguard film at the cinema when it first came out and it has stayed firmly in my favourite film list ever since.
If you haven’t watched the film, THE BODYGUARD tells the story of a former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, who is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge, but what they don’t expect is to fall in love.
Of course the real star of the show is the fabulous musical score, made famous by the vocal talents of Whitney Houston, with songs Queen of the Night, I Wanna Dance With Somebody and I Will Always Love You.
This musical incarnation stars Zoe Birkett (ITV’s Pop Idol, Moulin Rouge, The Great British Bake Off Musical) as Rachel Marron and Ayden Callaghan (Emmerdale, Hollyoaks) as Frank Farmer.
The opening took us all by surprise as we were all suddenly plunged into darkness, but it soon launched into the first number, Queen of the Night.
Zoe Birkett was incredible as the feisty Rachel Marron, with some great dance routines and impressive costume changes as she belted out the infamous Whitney Houston numbers.
Emily Mae was also brilliant as Nicki Marron, Rachel’s often overlooked sister and little Ryo Appadu stole the show as Rachel’s adorable son, Fletcher.
Ayden Callaghan was the perfect straight-laced Frank Farmer and we all loved his karaoke performance of “I Will Always Love You”.
The musical has been brought up-to-date with more modern references to celebrity life, with fans trying to take selfies with mobile phones and references to things ‘going viral’, but the story still stays true to the original.
We absolutely loved the show and the ending was just perfect – a massive sing and dance along to “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”
Ticket are available at www.bournemouthpavilion.co.uk/events/the-bodyguard-2023 and are priced from £24.25.
Disclaimer: We saw Bodyguard the Musical as guests of Bournemouth Pavilion, all thoughts and opinions are our own.
