The Bodyguard – Bord Gáis Energy Theatre – Review
by Fran Winston

Bord Gáis Energy Theatre – until Saturday, August 8

There seems to be no end to the number of film-to-stage adaptations currently touring theatres. This latest offering is based on the 1992 film The Bodyguard, which starred Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. I’ve seen the film, but it has never generally been considered a classic of its era.

Despite this, it has been deemed worthy of a stage adaptation, and to compensate for the fact that the film is not a musical (although it features a few songs, including, famously, I Will Always Love You), the production supplements the original story with a catalogue of Whitney Houston hits.

If you are not familiar with the story, it follows international singing superstar Rachel Marron, whose management hires her a top bodyguard after she starts receiving sinister letters from an obsessive fan.

Throw in a jealous sister and simmering feelings between the pair, and you have the ingredients of a story – just not a very strong one.

That’s one of the key issues here. The original film was essentially a star vehicle for Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. Their chemistry carried a thriller that, on its own merits, was never especially remarkable. Without those performances, the story’s weaknesses become much more obvious.

It’s a dark tale, and Whitney Houston’s biggest ballads celebrate romance, heartbreak and empowerment. They don’t naturally evoke a woman living in fear for her life as Rachel is supposed to be.

Mireia Mambo (the alternate Rachel on this tour who played the role the night I attended) and Sasha Monique as her sister Nicki are both outstanding vocalists and give impressive performances of tracks such as Saving All My Love For You and The Greatest Love Of All – but many of these songs feel shoehorned in and don’t suit the mood of the show.

Whenever the music stops, the production loses momentum. The dialogue is stiff and the plot, compressed for the stage, often feels rushed and confusing. The songs provide the emotional high points, but too many of them feel inserted simply because they’re Whitney Houston hits rather than because they advance the story.

The production itself is, on the whole, slickly staged and visually polished – it often looks like a live music video – but strong production values can’t disguise the fundamental mismatch between the story and the music.

Despite this, the audience on the night I attended all seemed to be there for one song, I Will Always Love You, which garnered rapturous applause (and more royalties for Dolly Parton). However, one song does not a show make!

The post-curtain-call rendition of I Wanna Dance with Somebody only highlights the production’s tonal identity crisis. Moments earlier, the audience has witnessed murder and tragedy; suddenly everyone is invited to clap along to a party anthem. It’s an oddly jarring way to end an otherwise sombre story.

Ultimately, The Bodyguard never decides whether it wants to be a faithful stage thriller or a Whitney Houston jukebox musical. It falls awkwardly between the two, leaving a production that feels emotionally inconsistent and dramatically unsatisfying. Whitney Houston fans will undoubtedly enjoy hearing her biggest hits performed live, but whether that alone justifies the price of a theatre ticket is another matter.