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Christine Allado

Jude Cartalaba

<p>MANILA -- Christine Allado never imagined she’d one day be belting out Whitney Houston’s anthems onstage. Yet destiny — and a well-timed phone call — led the Filipina performer back to her first love, theater, this time as Rachel Marron in &quot;The Bodyguard The Musical.&quot;</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s been overwhelming and encompassing. A very whirlwind kind of experience,&quot; she confessed. &quot;At first, I didn&#x27;t know if I could actually do it.”</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-dragging" style="width:633px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1760655908283fe71275a-43ab-46c8-8754-1aa26e60031b.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-dragging" alt="Christine Allado. Handout" style="width:633px"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Christine Allado. <em>Handout</em></span></span></span></div><div><strong>Started like Whitney</strong></div><p>Like Houston, who was raised in the Baptist faith and joined the church choir at the age of five, Allado also grew up singing in a choir and was trained to be a classical singer. She was blessed with a good foundation in performing through Trumpets Playshop, Repertory Philippines, and other summer workshops. It was her mom, Letty Allado, who instilled in her the importance of arts, music, and theater -- three aspects that have always been a part of her life.</p><p>But she never thought in her wildest dreams that she&#x27;d be singing Houston&#x27;s songs. “It never occurred to me that I’d be a ‘britera’ at all,” she said.</p><p>In 2012, when she was in her early 20s, Allado traveled with her dad, Jojo, to audition for five schools abroad. She got accepted in three and she chose the best -- also her dream school -- the Royal Academy of Music, where she took her post-graduate studies for a year.</p><p>But with just two months left before graduation, the pressure of what came next began to weigh on her. She had two choices — either get married or find a job. She chose the latter, determined to earn her place on her own terms before her visa expired.</p><p>Through one of her teachers, Allado landed her first professional role in &quot;From Here to Eternity,&quot; a brand-new musical based on the 1951 James Jones novel and its film adaptation, which made its West End and world premiere in 2013 at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London.</p><p>“It was set in Hawaii, so they needed people who looked like Hawaiians,” she recalled.</p><p>She next joined the groundbreaking musical &quot;Here Lies Love,&quot; created by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim and directed by Alex Timbers. That was followed by &quot;In the Heights&quot; with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who would later tap her to be part of &quot;Hamilton&quot; — a career-defining opportunity that opened even more doors. From there, she went on to perform in &quot;The Prince of Egypt,&quot; &quot;Old Friends,&quot; and several other acclaimed productions.</p><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176065592805521006048-2d02-4e9d-81e9-482b4ec54542.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:633px"/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Manifesting</strong></div><p>Last year, Allado kept busy with concerts, television projects, and voice work, but she hadn’t done much theater. She missed the stage deeply and found herself praying for a chance to return — just for a short run, she thought.</p><p>“Just dip my feet into it again,” she shared.</p><p>As fate would have it, the universe seemed to listen. The very next morning, her phone rang — producer Santi Santamaria was offering her the lead role in &quot;The Bodyguard The Musical.&quot; Two weeks later, another offer followed: &quot;The Hunchback of Notre Dame.&quot;</p><p>Though she had never performed all of Whitney Houston’s hits, Allado realized that the legendary singer’s music had been with her all along. Houston’s songs had quietly threaded through her career, marking pivotal moments.</p><p>Her audition piece for &quot;Hamilton&quot; was “Saving All My Love for You,” which landed her the role. She later performed “I’ll Always Love You” during Andrea Bocelli’s European tour and recently sang “I Have Nothing” with the Mexican Symphony Orchestra.</p><p>She suspected that it was a video of hers that got uploaded online, which gave Mio Infante the idea that she could sing Houston’s hits.</p><p>Before opening the musical theater co-production of Rockwell and 9 Works Theatrical at The Proscenium Theater in Makati, she did a concert version of &quot;The Hunchback of Notre Dame,&quot; adapted from the 1996 Walt Disney film, as Esmeralda. It had three performances at the Prince Edward Theatre.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Uphill battle</strong></div><p>Portraying Rachel Marron had been an uphill battle for Allado. At one point, she feared she wouldn’t be able to do it as she was losing her voice.</p><p>“I got scared,” she confessed.</p><p>Before rehearsals even began, she was hospitalized after contracting a tropical virus that left her skin covered in hives. “To get to this point is insane,” she said, still sounding amazed at how far she’s come.</p><p>But fear, for Allado, has never been a stop sign. “I eat fear for breakfast,” she quipped with a grin. “I face my fears head-on, collision.”</p><p>As a true artist, she knew she had to honor her commitment. That meant intense preparation, both physically and vocally. </p><p>“For this one, specifically, since this one is singing heavy, it’s a lot more of a vocal technique. How to keep it safe,” she explain. “I had acid reflux, but I need to focus on the vocal aspect. Build up my stamina. Got to do some working out. Then, vocal training, warm-ups, and techniques to help me get through the challenges.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Reflects with gratitude</strong></div><p>As &quot;The Bodyguard The Musical&quot; enters its closing weekend, Allado reflects with gratitude on the team that helped shape her return to the stage. She praised director Robbie Guevara and the creative team for grounding the story in emotion and authenticity.</p><p>“They were able to flesh out the characters to make them relatable, more human, and make the relationships more palpable, especially for the Filipino audiences,” she said. “Robbie was able to flesh out moments to add a thrilling, romantic aspect, as well as that sense of danger the family and sisterhood are heading into.”</p><p>When it came to casting Rachel Marron, musical director Daniel Bartolome said he wasn’t looking for a Whitney Houston replica. “Whitney is incomparable when it comes to her singing. Her voice is uniquely molded, a one-of-a-kind,” he explained. &quot;Rachel Marron should be someone who stands out among the rest -- singing exceptionally and remarkably on stage.”</p><p>And Allado does just that. She channels Rachel through both voice and performance, merging strength and vulnerability in a way that feels wholly her own. To avoid imitation, she deliberately chose not to rewatch the 1992 film. “I didn’t take it from Whitney’s,” she stressed.</p><p>Her portrayal continued to evolve with each show. “She’s changing every day,” Allado said. “She started out sassy, but now I focus more on her being a mother, her relationship with Frank Farmer (Matt Blaker), and being a sister to Nicki.”</p><p>While performing in &quot;The Bodyguard The Musical,&quot; Allado named the three Whitney Houston songs that resonate most with her: I&quot; Have Nothing,&quot; &quot;I Will Always Love You,&quot; and &quot;How Will I Know.&quot;</p><p>But it’s &quot;I Will Always Love You&quot; that hits her the hardest. When she sings it, she remembers the people who have been special in her past, those whom she spent so many years with, and have helped her become the person she is today. </p><p>For Allado, these songs are more than just musical numbers — they are reminders of her journey and the fearless commitment it took to step into a role she never imagined she could play.</p><div><br/></div><div><em>&quot;The Bodyguard The Musical&quot; is still running until Sunday, October 19, at the Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati.</em></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/7/18/west-end-star-christine-allado-to-star-in-ph-production-of-the-bodyguard-1024" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">West End star Christine Allado to star in PH production of &#x27;The Bodyguard&#x27;</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DoalWKWGye4?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>She’s sung for Andrea Bocelli, and conquered the West End. But for Christine Allado, playing Rachel Marron in '<i>The Bodyguard The Musical['</i> has been one of her most difficult roles yet.</p>

She’s sung for Andrea Bocelli, and conquered the West End. But for Christine Allado, playing Rachel Marron in ' The Bodyguard The Musical[' has been one of her most difficult roles yet.

Christine Allado reflects on her journey as Rachel Marron in ‘The Bodyguard' musical

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Christine Allado reflects on her journey as Rachel Marron in ‘The Bodyguard' musical

Jude Cartalaba

Published October 17, 2025 01:47 PM PHT

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Updated October 17, 2025 03:32 PM PHT

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The Bodyguard The Musical

Christine Allado

Rachel Marron

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