Back in 1992, Whitney Houston got her first acting role alongside Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard, a romantic comedy which soon became a classic love story, thanks in part to a great soundtrack.

Two decades later, the Lawrence Kasdan Oscar-nominated film was made into a very successful musical, which is coming to Monaco at the end of June for what should be an incredible run of shows.

Adapted for the stage by American playwright and Oscar winner Alexander Dinelaris and directed by Thea Sharrock, The Bodyguard had its world premiere in December 2012 at London’s Adelphi Theatre and opened to rave reviews, earning in the process four nominations for the Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical.

Fans of the film will not be disappointed as this stage version has all the ingredients that made the movie so poignant in the first place. Following the burgeoning relationship between a music superstar, Rachel Marron, and a former secret agent, Frank Turner hired to protect her from a mysterious stalker, the show features some of Houston’s biggest hits such as Queen of the Night, So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, I’m Your Baby Tonight, Run to You or I Wanna Dance with Somebody, as well as, of course, one of the biggest selling songs of all time, I Will Always Love You.

Some may view the musical as an attempt to cash in on the recent death of Whitney Houston (after all, many tribute shows featuring the songs of Michael Jackson emerged shortly after the singer’s death), but the result here turns out to be a real treat for the eyes and the ears, and Alexandra Burke, an X-Factor winner in the UK who reprises the title role, brilliantly shows that things are in safe hands.

The Bodyguard – the Musical plays at the Grimaldi Forum at 8:30pm on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of June, and at 3pm on Sunday the 26th. Tickets range in price from €36 (for students under the age of 25) to €69 and can be purchased on the Grimaldi Forum Website. Running time is 140 minutes.

CONTACT DETAILS
Grimaldi Forum
10, ave. Princesse Grace
98000 Monaco

Tel: +377 99 99 20 00

All images courtesy The Bodyguard – the Musical