The new tour of The Bodyguard explodes onto the stage at Manchester’s Palace Theatre, with a start that needs no phones-away announcement. The echo of a gunshot does that job – now everyone is paying attention.
Seconds later flames rise from the front of the stage as the curtain rises on a stadium-style concert. As musical openings go, this has got to be one of the best.
The musical, based on the 1992 film starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, has always been a crowd-pleaser. Sometimes too much so, resulting in news headlines of chaotic scenes in the theatre during the 2023 tour as audience members immersed in the concert-vibe joined in with the songs.
For those who can’t resist a sing-a-long there is a chance after the curtain call when the cast return to the stage for an energetic version of ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’. On opening night, as far as we could see, everyone respectfully waited until that point before jumping to their feet and singing the words back to the stage.
The Grammy award winning soundtrack has always been the strength of The Bodyguard and the musical cements this by packing in even more tracks – 16 in total, many of them instantly recognisable including, ‘Queen of the Night’, ‘I’m Every Woman’, ‘Greatest Love of All’ and the phenomenal hit, ‘I Will Always Love You’.
There is a thrilling story too with plenty of jump scares to keep the audience hooked. Superstar singer, Rachel Marron is on the cusp of mega-stardom following a much longed-for Oscar nomination. But this dream, as well as the safety of her young son, is in jeopardy from a mysterious stalker set on terrorising her and her family. Her manager, desperate to find someone to both protect his talent and solve the case, hires bodyguard Frank Farmer. But his arrival in the celebrity household is far from smooth.
Here the role of Rachel Marron is played by American musical star, Sidonie Smith, who was the alternate for the part when for a run in Cologne. There is so much expectation riding on this role – whether that comes from the audience’s memories of the late, magnificent Whitney Houston, or singers like Beverley Knight and Alexandra Burke who have taken the stage role previously. Smith captures the diva in Marron and gives some powerhouse vocals, especially in act II. I’d have liked a bit more oomph in the concert scenes and that might come in time as the run settles.
Australian actor, Adam Garcia takes on the role of The Bodyguard with charm and humour. At times there is a strange squareness to his stance that feels comically robotic, but this appears to be a directional choice because all the male actors at times take a similar pose.
The real surprise is Sasha Monique as Marron’s shadowed sister, Nicki. The strength of her voice and the emotion she brings to the role ensures that, unlike her character, there will be no sidelining her talent, as the cheers at her curtain call attest.
Marron’s 10-year-old son, Fletcher also quickly wins over the crowd. There are four young actors playing the role during the tour. On Monday we saw Cale Cole, who at only 10-years-old already has a string of impressive theatre credits to his name.
In all it is an immersive, energetic, crowd-pleasing show.
The Bodyguard is at The Palace Theatre, Manchester from 19-31 January 2026.