Theater Review: The Bodyguard, the Musical, Could Have Been Better Enjoyed as a Concert

Like any other almost-40 and 40-something, I grew up during the peak of Whitney Houston's career—hearing "Greatest Love of All" at school events, where everyone thought that we (the children) are the future; "I Will Always Love You" and "Saving All My Love for You" over the radio; and, later, "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" at karaoke. And then there's the 1992 film, The Bodyguard, playing multiple times in the background on our parents' newly bought VHS player. Put two pop culture elements together, and what could possibly go wrong? Answer: The musical.

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After the teeny-tiny exposition of Frank Farmer's (Matt Blaker) past, the opening number with Rachel Marron (Christine Allado) set the tone for the whole musical. Unfortunately, it didn't give much.

The Bodyguard, the Musical: A Dated Book

The Bodyguard, the Musical, directed by Robbie Guevara, opened to guests in "formal glitz and glam" at the new Proscenium Theater last September 25—then a day later, to the public, on September 26, for a three-week run. Much like the film, the 2012 piece with a book by Alexander Dinelaris follows a former United States Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer (played by English actor Matt Blaker of West End fame), who is hired to protect famous singer Rachel Marron (played by Filipina-British artist Christine Allado, who is best known for her breakout role in Hamilton’s original West End cast as Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds) from an unnamed stalker (played by Vien King). Rachel has a sister named Nicki (played by Sheena Palad), who's also a singer minus the...well, glitz and glam.

There's really nothing much going on in the film. In fact, it was described by critics as a "cheesy, melodramatic potboiler," but it banked on Houston's singing prowess and Kevin Costner's popularity—eventually making it the second-highest-grossing film of 1992. Unfortunately, Dinelaris couldn't make magic out of thin air and, ultimately, structured a cliché-ridden book and underdeveloped characters with not just one but two damsel-in-distress tropes that should have stayed in the '90s. Both sisters loudly and unashamedly expressed their I-need-yous to Frank. 

CJ Navato as Ray Court with Matt Blaker as the bodyguard

The musical also depended on Houston's hits to save its life, but it really didn't. Most of the songs are performed as a live performance within the live performance—it is about a singer, after all. In these moments, Allado earns the audience's applause through vocal riffs that Filipinos just love. Her vocal ability makes the argument that this musical could have been enjoyed as a Whitney Houston tribute concert.

Otherwise, the characters just break into a number in the kitchen or in the living room with songs acting as fillers for the dialogue (and vice versa). There was real (but cringey) effort, for example, to squeeze in "Jesus Loves Me" in that Hallmark scene of Rachel, Nicki, and Fletcher (played by Elian Santos on VIP night, with alternate Giani Sarita). Santos deserves a mention for making the most out of his character despite the weak material.

Vien King as the unnamed stalker

The villain, the unnamed stalker, was reduced to little more than a shirtless, perpetually looming physical set piece in the background, signaling menace without ever having to deliver a compelling performance. And after all the singing, dancing, and stalking, the villain just disappears from the plot with an offstage chase and a bullet shot.

Flexing the New Proscenium Theater's Features

During the press conference for The Bodyguard, the Musical, last September 3, the creative team of 9 Works Theatrical said that the show's concert-heavy format is the best way to flex the new Proscenium Theater's state-of-the-art technology. And they did, maybe a bit too much.

The theater's fully automated fly lines that were supposed to make scene changes effortless were obviously used at full capacity, to the point that in every transition, backdrops would roll up and down, and down and up. Other set pieces are also rolled in manually from the sides—from left to right, right to left—repeat x times—with lights going off and on after almost every sequence.

It was like watching the rehearsal of a rehearsal.

This kind of transition affected the pacing of a supposedly high-energy show. In every dimming of stage lights and 20-second scene change, the momentum just stops, effectively fragmenting the pace. It did not help that it further diluted the already low energy that they started with in Allado's dance number, "Queen of the Night." The West End artist's achievement ends in hitting the notes, but she could use some time in perfecting the choreography and pouring some passion into her acting. It's hard not to compare her performance with Palad's more textured treatment of her character as Nicki, displaying emotions of sadness and jealousy—though charting the waters of melodrama—while singing.

But I do have to hand it to Shakira Villa-Symes's lighting design, which makes use of a concert-style spectacle that the venue is clearly made for. The moving head wash lights flash all kinds of shapes and sizes on the audience side's walls, distracting me from the lack of chemistry between the cast members happening onstage. Even the laser lights make me look away from Frank's awkward and less-than-confident acting as well as the ridiculous wigs—it’s like Rent all over again. Smoke effects, meanwhile, disguise an illusion of grandeur to the otherwise small-scale set design (Mio Infante) vis-à-vis the Proscenium's grand proscenium.

What's possibly the best sequence in the whole show is the encore. After the final bows, the cast returns onstage and performs "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" with full spectacle, encouraging audience members to stand up, sing along, and dance (with somebody). Proving, yet again, that this could have been a concert.

The Bodyguard, the Musical runs until October 19, with 8 p.m. shows on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. shows on Saturdays and Sundays, at the Proscenium Theater, Rockwell, Makati. Tickets are available on Ticketworld, with prices at P4,120, P5,974, and P6,695.