I know the recent press attention surrounding this show has had the theatre world in a vigorous debate over audience etiquette, but my hopes were high that a Monday night audience may behave themselves.
How could a show make the audience hyped up so much that they would want to join in full belt at the pinnacle emotional moments; that others would be so engaged they would punch someone who tried to do just that?
For those out there who haven’t seen it (I was amazed that NONE of my Y12 Drama class had even heard of it!) ‘The Bodyguard’ is based on the hit film of the same name, staring pop queen Whitney Houston. The film is based on the fictitious character Rachel Marron, and features all the hit songs of Whitney herself. Within the story, superstar Rachel is feeling threatened by a stalker. This leads to her also gaining a personal bodyguard in the form of Frank Farmer. In the style of a true 90’s film, this results in a slightly closer inspection of her body that is required, if you get my drift.
Fans of the film will be relieved to know that the musical follows the original story accurately, but with enough creative licence to give it credibility of its own. This show is unique in that it’s a mixture of a concert and musical production, the like that I’ve not really seen before. Rather than the cast randomly bursting into songs, most of them are performed as if in concert, rehearsals or at one point a karaoke. The few exceptions are the really emotive songs, such as ‘Run To You’ and the epic ‘I Will Always Love You’, which makes them all the more poignant.
I had heard mixed reviews about star of the show Melody Thornton, primarily known as being part of the girl band ‘Pussycat Dolls’. I can’t think of a much bigger ask than taking on Whitney Houston but this lady absolutely nailed it. Her voice was incredible – the power of her chest voice mixed with the perfect intonation of her head voice, creating some beautifully captivating performances. Her ability to perform so many highly demanding songs over a two hour show was extremely impressive, showing her experience as a performer used to going on tour. She also had the dance moves, demonstrated in her more exuberant numbers such as ‘I’m Every Woman’ and ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’. This was a lady who had the full Musical Theatre package, rather than a star hired to sell tickets, and she carried the weight of a lead role wonderfully.
Equally impressive for me was Emily-Mae who played the role of Rachel’s side-lined sister Nicki Marron. As in the film, Rachel wasn’t designed to be a particularly nice character, especially at first. It is with her sister that your sympathies lie, due to her lack of confidence and her honest vulnerability. Her deeper, more melodic voice was a lovely contrast to Thornton’s power and suited the character beautifully.
Lead man, Ayden Callaghan, of Hollyoaks fame (apparently), performed a suitably dashing, broody bodyguard. Luckily he didn’t have to sing, and this actually suited the show, enabling him to keep his mystery and the focus firmly on the females in the show. In fact, we rarely heard any men sing, which helped to separate the story from the concert style songs.
The dancing in the show, created by choreographer Karen Bruce, is some of the best I’ve seen, being more reminiscent of something you might expect from a performance at half time at the Superbowl, real fire flames included. The dancers were thrown around as if cheerleaders, and the Latino style dancing in the song ‘I’m Every Woman’ was especially impressive.
Despite being a musician, I had to check if the music was being played live at one point as it was so darn good that I actually thought it was recorded. But no, it was most definitely live and filled the whole theatre with energy and volume, led with gusto by Musical Director Sam Hall. I’ve found touring companies can often get it wrong with sound and lighting at The Grand, but with this show it was excellent. Some of the lighting effects, especially the gobos, creating a beautiful depth to the set design. The bursts of flame and glitzy costumes added wonderfully to the concert vibe of the show.
It’s safe to say that this show was an utter hit with the whole audience. The theatre was good at making sure the audience knew not to sing during the show and an announcement was made at the beginning, explaining there’d be a chance to join in at the end. Unfortunately, even on a Monday night there were a couple who decided to still try and make sarcastic comments during the big dramatic ending number of ‘I Will Always Love You’. The staff were fairly quick to deal with it but I feel like they may have a few more issues on a Saturday night. I understand that this show does have elements of a pop concert about it, and there are moments that make the audience scream in fright (which then makes them laugh after). But this is still a theatre show and we have come to watch the professionals sing. This is just my opinion and there is a massive online debate around this issue at the moment. Does the audience need to relearn theatre etiquette following a hiatus due to Covid, or does theatre etiquette itself need to change?
However, do not let newspaper articles of a few potential drunken singers put you off going to see this show. It’s a unique production and their use of media throughout is creative (although at times a bit corny). The show should definitely come with a warning for anyone who doesn’t react well to sudden loud noises or things that scare you – there’s a few of them in there, although this just adds to the excitement of the show.
‘The Bodyguard’ is absolutely spellbinding from beginning to end, even if you have never seen the film. This is a new style of show and I’m delighted I took a chance to see it, even if I am still singing ‘Run To You’ around work the morning after. I had forgotten just how good Whitney Houston’s songs are……
The Bodyguard is at Leeds Grand Theatre until 17 June.
Book tickets online at leedsheritagetheatres.com or call 0113 243 0808
Photography by Matt Crockett at Dewynters.
