REVIEW
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
The Bodyguard
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea
TUES 23 - SAT 27 MAY 2023
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
The Bodyguard
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea
TUES 23 - SAT 27 MAY 2023
This will be the third time that I’ve seen The Bodyguard performed at the Cliffs Pavilion. The first time the role of Grammy award winning singer, Rachel Marron was played by Pop Idol’s highest placing female contestant, Zoe Birkett and the last time we saw the successful X-Factor winner and singer/songwriter Alexandra Burke powerhouse her way through the epic score. Last night it was former Pussycat Doll, Melody Thornton’s turn to portray the singing diva whose life becomes in danger after a letter from a psychotic stalker is found in her dressing room and one of her dresses goes missing.
A top notch bodyguard is needed and Frank Farmer - a man with a few issues of his own - is hired as the best man for the job, despite his reluctance. Initially Rachel is dead against the idea but Frank’s one of the best and after a while he manages to endear himself both to Rachel’s son as well as her sister and eventually Rachel too.
It isn’t long before we discover that the sisters hold an almost lifelong sibling rivalry with Rachel having forged herself a hugely successful career and subsequently becoming the superstar with Nicki, although equally as talented, taking the role of her sister’s assistant. The underlying rivalry continues when both sisters fall for Frank. It all makes for riveting viewing and along with the added tension that there is someone out there waiting for an opportunity to get closer to Rachel, this show is one that will keep your attention gripped to the very end.
Melody Thornton’s portrayal of Rachel is a gentler version than I’ve seen her played before and this makes for a far more believable character. There are obviously going to be comparisons with Whitney Houston, who played the role in the Oscar Nominated 1992 film alongside Kevin Costner playing the bodyguard, but Thornton brings her own vulnerability and vocals to this role, which really endears. She certainly doesn’t disappoint as she belts her way through the every fabulous number which includes Queen of the Night, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Million Dollar Bill, Where Do Broken Hearts Go, All The Man That I Need and Saving All My Love for You, to name but a few of the monumental tracks made into worldwide hits by Houston.
Emilie-May playing Rachel’s sister, Nicky, is simply fantastic and she delivers some equally impressive vocals, not least in Saving All My Love For You where she courts compliments and attention from Frank which gets her hopes up for romance. However one of the best performances of the night is the duet between the two sisters with their rendition of Run To You which is goose-bumpingly good and they totally nail the harmonies; just beautiful.
Ayden Callaghan as bodyguard, Frank Farmer, reminds me a little of Ryan Reynolds and will no doubt have quite a few audience members swooning. He does a convincing job as the man who wants to do his job right yet can’t help falling for the woman he is hired to protect.
The ensemble get involved throughout the show in various guises but they really get to show off some great choreography in the I’m Every Woman number at the top of Act 2 with some dynamic dance moves.
Frankie Keita as Rachel’s son, Fletcher, also gets a chance to show off his singing and dancing skills and proves that he is a great little actor too. I wasn’t so sure about James Groom’s characterisation of Sy Spector, who seemed to be channeling all the Jim Carey vibes as Rachel’s overly ambitious publicist.
The Bodyguard is a dramatic, romantic thriller and it certainly delivers on all counts. There are some sudden surprises which will have you jumping out of your seat; is Frank able to protect Rachel from the deadly stalker and will she be safe enough to perform at the Oscars? Melody Thornton and Ayden Callaghan have built a great chemistry between them, all leading to a finale that cannot fail to melt even the toughest of heartstrings with Thornton singing the iconic I Will Always Love You, much to the delight and rapturous applause of the audience.
There’s been a bit of controversy about audience members joining in with the songs in this show when it was in the West End, however, Southend audiences (on opening night anyway) appear to be much more respectful and waited until the encore, where everyone is encouraged to get up and sing and dance along after the bows. It’s definitely worth the wait - this is a show whose hardworking cast deserves respect - so let’s keep it that way Southenders!
Review: Kim Tobin
The Bodyguard continues to play at the Cliffs Pavilion until this Saturday 27th May
Mon to Thurs 8pm - £50.00, £46.50, £44.50, £34.50. Premium £58.50
Fri and Sat 8pm plus Sat 2.30pm - £54.00 £51.00, £47.50, £38.00. Premium £64.50
Concessions £2.50 off (Mon - Thu 8pm only, top three prices)
Groups 10+ £4 off (Mon - Thu 8pm only, top three prices)
A £3.65 transaction fee may apply to your order
For tickets go to Southend Theatres website
A top notch bodyguard is needed and Frank Farmer - a man with a few issues of his own - is hired as the best man for the job, despite his reluctance. Initially Rachel is dead against the idea but Frank’s one of the best and after a while he manages to endear himself both to Rachel’s son as well as her sister and eventually Rachel too.
It isn’t long before we discover that the sisters hold an almost lifelong sibling rivalry with Rachel having forged herself a hugely successful career and subsequently becoming the superstar with Nicki, although equally as talented, taking the role of her sister’s assistant. The underlying rivalry continues when both sisters fall for Frank. It all makes for riveting viewing and along with the added tension that there is someone out there waiting for an opportunity to get closer to Rachel, this show is one that will keep your attention gripped to the very end.
Melody Thornton’s portrayal of Rachel is a gentler version than I’ve seen her played before and this makes for a far more believable character. There are obviously going to be comparisons with Whitney Houston, who played the role in the Oscar Nominated 1992 film alongside Kevin Costner playing the bodyguard, but Thornton brings her own vulnerability and vocals to this role, which really endears. She certainly doesn’t disappoint as she belts her way through the every fabulous number which includes Queen of the Night, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Million Dollar Bill, Where Do Broken Hearts Go, All The Man That I Need and Saving All My Love for You, to name but a few of the monumental tracks made into worldwide hits by Houston.
Emilie-May playing Rachel’s sister, Nicky, is simply fantastic and she delivers some equally impressive vocals, not least in Saving All My Love For You where she courts compliments and attention from Frank which gets her hopes up for romance. However one of the best performances of the night is the duet between the two sisters with their rendition of Run To You which is goose-bumpingly good and they totally nail the harmonies; just beautiful.
Ayden Callaghan as bodyguard, Frank Farmer, reminds me a little of Ryan Reynolds and will no doubt have quite a few audience members swooning. He does a convincing job as the man who wants to do his job right yet can’t help falling for the woman he is hired to protect.
The ensemble get involved throughout the show in various guises but they really get to show off some great choreography in the I’m Every Woman number at the top of Act 2 with some dynamic dance moves.
Frankie Keita as Rachel’s son, Fletcher, also gets a chance to show off his singing and dancing skills and proves that he is a great little actor too. I wasn’t so sure about James Groom’s characterisation of Sy Spector, who seemed to be channeling all the Jim Carey vibes as Rachel’s overly ambitious publicist.
The Bodyguard is a dramatic, romantic thriller and it certainly delivers on all counts. There are some sudden surprises which will have you jumping out of your seat; is Frank able to protect Rachel from the deadly stalker and will she be safe enough to perform at the Oscars? Melody Thornton and Ayden Callaghan have built a great chemistry between them, all leading to a finale that cannot fail to melt even the toughest of heartstrings with Thornton singing the iconic I Will Always Love You, much to the delight and rapturous applause of the audience.
There’s been a bit of controversy about audience members joining in with the songs in this show when it was in the West End, however, Southend audiences (on opening night anyway) appear to be much more respectful and waited until the encore, where everyone is encouraged to get up and sing and dance along after the bows. It’s definitely worth the wait - this is a show whose hardworking cast deserves respect - so let’s keep it that way Southenders!
Review: Kim Tobin
The Bodyguard continues to play at the Cliffs Pavilion until this Saturday 27th May
Mon to Thurs 8pm - £50.00, £46.50, £44.50, £34.50. Premium £58.50
Fri and Sat 8pm plus Sat 2.30pm - £54.00 £51.00, £47.50, £38.00. Premium £64.50
Concessions £2.50 off (Mon - Thu 8pm only, top three prices)
Groups 10+ £4 off (Mon - Thu 8pm only, top three prices)
A £3.65 transaction fee may apply to your order
For tickets go to Southend Theatres website
MELODY THORNTON
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
No stranger to the spotlight, Grammy nominated singer and former Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton will star as Rachel Marron in a new UK and Ireland tour of the award-winning international smash-hit musical The Bodyguard, coming to the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend from Tuesday 23rd May to Saturday 27th May.
The musical is based on the Oscar-nominated movie starring Whitney Houston, and features a host of irresistible classics including Queen of the Night, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and one of the biggest hit songs of all time – I Will Always Love You.
You’re no stranger to the role, having previously starred in The Bodyguard in China. What made you want to return, and will you be approaching it differently this time around?
I loved the show, I was jubilant doing it! I want the challenge. I’m really enjoying revisiting the show.
Whitney Houston is also very dear to me, and what she means to Black America. What she went through as a black girl singing pop music was brave. She battled a lot of preconceived notions in the industry, and what she did for me was help to create a lane for the little black girl in the pop group. She is important to me in that respect, so anytime I have the opportunity to sing Whitney’s hits I’m going to do it.
The Bodyguard is a much-loved movie, which recently celebrated it’s 30th anniversary! Were you a fan of the movie growing up and did you rewatch it again after being cast?
You know strangely I never watched the film when I was a kid. Ok, this is the honest truth - I watched the film for the first time when I knew I was doing The Bodyguard musical in China. I’d never seen the film, but the soundtrack was giving me life throughout my entire childhood. I love the movie now; I’ve seen it a million times!
I had a ticket for a special screening of The Bodyguard for the 30th Anniversary. I went to the movie theatre on my own and was so excited. Of course, only this would happen to me and a room full of Whitney Houston enthusiasts – the film starts playing… and it was a cartoon! The venue had messed up and were no longer able to show the film. People wanted to cry, including myself!
Can you briefly summarise the plot (without spoilers) and tell us about your character – Rachel Marron. How would you describe her?
Rachel Marron is a popstar/ actress who is at the height of her career. She is definitely a diva, but kind of aloof and unaware of some of the issues that are going on behind the scenes. When someone starts sending letters and stealing clothes from her home and dressing room, a bodyguard is sent in to protect her.
Rachel is really focused on her son and trying to create the best life for him. She’s a single mother who is extremely high-functioning, so misses all the signs that something is wrong - but her team is also hiding the fact she has a stalker from her!
Most people will know you from The Pussycat Dolls, one of the most celebrated girl groups of all time. How does your experience as a world-renowned songstress influence your interpretation of the role of Rachel Marron – are there any parallels?
It’s just you doing the best job that you can, and the job of a popstar is a full-time, all-energy position. Everything you do is for that job. So, I can relate to the character in that way. There are also certainly things going on behind the scenes that your team aren’t going to bring up to you. But I would hope someone would have let me know if I had a stalker!
I’ve definitely experienced some enthusiastic fans who would forget that we were also people and would show up in Los Angeles and find us on the street. I had to hide in a restaurant one time for a couple of hours until security came to get me.
You were the youngest member of The Pussycat Dolls. What was that like for you? Did you receive any guidance from people within the industry?
In the early 00s it was very much sink or swim. I’m not resentful in any way for that, because I now have a structure that works for me that I created for myself. Of course, there were lovely people to jump in and say, ‘You might want to try it this way or that way’, but in the early 00s it was a lot of people minding their own business. However, there are so many people that I owe for my being here, and I’m grateful to them to this day.
Given the life experience you now have, what piece of advice do you wish you could have given your younger self, ahead of being propelled to global stardom?
I’d say that some of the fears you created in your head around interacting with other people are just projections. People aren’t as scary as you think. I was very avoidant of others, trying to just do my job and not create any relationships, when in actuality networking and relationships are what helps to propel your career. They can’t get a feel for you if you don’t put yourself out there!
I always try and forgive myself, because there are things you don’t know so you have to accept that if you’d known better, you’d have done better.
The Bodyguard features an incredible soundtrack, with hits made famous by Whitney Houston. Do you have a favourite number to perform?
My favourite number to perform is ‘Queen of the Night’, but my favourite song is ‘All The Man That I Need’. I watch Whitney’s live performances, because I’m always looking for what I call ‘bail outs’ - moments in the song that we know commercially to be sung a certain way, and then how she does them live. She was such a master, she would find ways to hit a note, working around the difficulty. In her performances of ‘All The Man That I Need’ I think she’s singing to God, as she grew up in the church. If you listen to the song, to me that’s what she’s saying – He’s all the man that she needs.
The songs in the show require powerhouse vocals night after night! How do you vocally prepare for this? Do you have methods you use to sustain your vocal health?
I actually taught myself to sing listening to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, and since being in the industry and working with different vocal coaches I’ve learnt how to take a lot of pressure off my voice. For me it’s about sustainability to sing night after night. I want it to be the best quality every night, which is a challenge that I’m working on. I tested it out recently on the Masked Singer Australia which went really well.
When it comes to vocal hygiene, I make sure to clean my nose every night with a nasal wash. Something I learnt from my time in China, is to drink cold water when you’re done singing to bring any swelling down. We’re all so programmed to drink hot! These are just some of the things I don’t live without.
What do you hope audiences across the UK will take away from this production?
I look forward to hopefully inspiring some kids to want to work on stage. The beautiful thing about theatre is that it’s live. I’m grateful to be the age that I am, and to have begun at the age that I did before people were relying on autotune. This sounds crazy, but what I look forward to are the mistakes, because it’s real. I think it’s beautiful to see a performer pick up the pieces and keep going if something goes wrong. I love that because it gives me room to just perform as an actress and sing as a singer.
www.thebodyguardmusical.com
The musical is based on the Oscar-nominated movie starring Whitney Houston, and features a host of irresistible classics including Queen of the Night, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and one of the biggest hit songs of all time – I Will Always Love You.
You’re no stranger to the role, having previously starred in The Bodyguard in China. What made you want to return, and will you be approaching it differently this time around?
I loved the show, I was jubilant doing it! I want the challenge. I’m really enjoying revisiting the show.
Whitney Houston is also very dear to me, and what she means to Black America. What she went through as a black girl singing pop music was brave. She battled a lot of preconceived notions in the industry, and what she did for me was help to create a lane for the little black girl in the pop group. She is important to me in that respect, so anytime I have the opportunity to sing Whitney’s hits I’m going to do it.
The Bodyguard is a much-loved movie, which recently celebrated it’s 30th anniversary! Were you a fan of the movie growing up and did you rewatch it again after being cast?
You know strangely I never watched the film when I was a kid. Ok, this is the honest truth - I watched the film for the first time when I knew I was doing The Bodyguard musical in China. I’d never seen the film, but the soundtrack was giving me life throughout my entire childhood. I love the movie now; I’ve seen it a million times!
I had a ticket for a special screening of The Bodyguard for the 30th Anniversary. I went to the movie theatre on my own and was so excited. Of course, only this would happen to me and a room full of Whitney Houston enthusiasts – the film starts playing… and it was a cartoon! The venue had messed up and were no longer able to show the film. People wanted to cry, including myself!
Can you briefly summarise the plot (without spoilers) and tell us about your character – Rachel Marron. How would you describe her?
Rachel Marron is a popstar/ actress who is at the height of her career. She is definitely a diva, but kind of aloof and unaware of some of the issues that are going on behind the scenes. When someone starts sending letters and stealing clothes from her home and dressing room, a bodyguard is sent in to protect her.
Rachel is really focused on her son and trying to create the best life for him. She’s a single mother who is extremely high-functioning, so misses all the signs that something is wrong - but her team is also hiding the fact she has a stalker from her!
Most people will know you from The Pussycat Dolls, one of the most celebrated girl groups of all time. How does your experience as a world-renowned songstress influence your interpretation of the role of Rachel Marron – are there any parallels?
It’s just you doing the best job that you can, and the job of a popstar is a full-time, all-energy position. Everything you do is for that job. So, I can relate to the character in that way. There are also certainly things going on behind the scenes that your team aren’t going to bring up to you. But I would hope someone would have let me know if I had a stalker!
I’ve definitely experienced some enthusiastic fans who would forget that we were also people and would show up in Los Angeles and find us on the street. I had to hide in a restaurant one time for a couple of hours until security came to get me.
You were the youngest member of The Pussycat Dolls. What was that like for you? Did you receive any guidance from people within the industry?
In the early 00s it was very much sink or swim. I’m not resentful in any way for that, because I now have a structure that works for me that I created for myself. Of course, there were lovely people to jump in and say, ‘You might want to try it this way or that way’, but in the early 00s it was a lot of people minding their own business. However, there are so many people that I owe for my being here, and I’m grateful to them to this day.
Given the life experience you now have, what piece of advice do you wish you could have given your younger self, ahead of being propelled to global stardom?
I’d say that some of the fears you created in your head around interacting with other people are just projections. People aren’t as scary as you think. I was very avoidant of others, trying to just do my job and not create any relationships, when in actuality networking and relationships are what helps to propel your career. They can’t get a feel for you if you don’t put yourself out there!
I always try and forgive myself, because there are things you don’t know so you have to accept that if you’d known better, you’d have done better.
The Bodyguard features an incredible soundtrack, with hits made famous by Whitney Houston. Do you have a favourite number to perform?
My favourite number to perform is ‘Queen of the Night’, but my favourite song is ‘All The Man That I Need’. I watch Whitney’s live performances, because I’m always looking for what I call ‘bail outs’ - moments in the song that we know commercially to be sung a certain way, and then how she does them live. She was such a master, she would find ways to hit a note, working around the difficulty. In her performances of ‘All The Man That I Need’ I think she’s singing to God, as she grew up in the church. If you listen to the song, to me that’s what she’s saying – He’s all the man that she needs.
The songs in the show require powerhouse vocals night after night! How do you vocally prepare for this? Do you have methods you use to sustain your vocal health?
I actually taught myself to sing listening to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, and since being in the industry and working with different vocal coaches I’ve learnt how to take a lot of pressure off my voice. For me it’s about sustainability to sing night after night. I want it to be the best quality every night, which is a challenge that I’m working on. I tested it out recently on the Masked Singer Australia which went really well.
When it comes to vocal hygiene, I make sure to clean my nose every night with a nasal wash. Something I learnt from my time in China, is to drink cold water when you’re done singing to bring any swelling down. We’re all so programmed to drink hot! These are just some of the things I don’t live without.
What do you hope audiences across the UK will take away from this production?
I look forward to hopefully inspiring some kids to want to work on stage. The beautiful thing about theatre is that it’s live. I’m grateful to be the age that I am, and to have begun at the age that I did before people were relying on autotune. This sounds crazy, but what I look forward to are the mistakes, because it’s real. I think it’s beautiful to see a performer pick up the pieces and keep going if something goes wrong. I love that because it gives me room to just perform as an actress and sing as a singer.
www.thebodyguardmusical.com