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The Bodyguard: The Musical

ABS-CBN Lifestyle

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759229309294tbg_tdr-91.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Matt Blaker and Christine Allado in &#x27;The Bodyguard: The Musical.&#x27; <em>9 Works Theatrical</em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>If you listened to Whitney Houston on repeat in the ’90s, 9 Works Theatrical’s “The Bodyguard: The Musical,” based on the 1992 blockbuster romantic melodrama starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, will hit you right in the nostalgia.</p><p>Directed by Robbie Guevara, this fully licensed production sticks to the original 2012 West End script and score. It is headlined by West End actors, the British-Filipina Christine Allado bringing back to life Houston’s superstar character Rachel Marron, and Matt Blaker as the titular bodyguard Frank Farmer.</p><p>By design, the show feels more like a tribute concert than a tightly plotted play, with nearly every scene built around a Houston hit — from &quot;Where Do Broken Hearts Go&quot; in a bar to &quot;I Have Nothing&quot;, to &quot;Run to You&quot; in a kitchen. The musical is carried almost entirely by Houston’s music, with the movie’s hits, plus extra songs from the late singer’s catalogue.</p><p>Rachel performs in stadium mode, in clubs, and at open mics, so it often feels like a string of performances rather than a continuous story. And with microphones almost always in hand by the actors, the show sometimes borders on live karaoke rather than immersive musical theater.</p><p>Unlike the film, which is told mainly from Frank’s perspective, the stage version puts Rachel front and center. Allado as Rachel sings with technical skill, but her performance often feels perfect rather than heartfelt, and her chemistry with Blaker’s stoic, rigid Frank never fully sparks.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759229259637tbg_tdr-3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Christine Allado in &#x27;The Bodyguard: The Musical.&#x27; <em>9 Works Theatrical</em></span></span></span></div><p>Rachel is the focus — her voice, her presence, her songs — while Frank fades into the background. Sheena Lee Palad, as Rachel’s sister Nicki, brings more emotional depth, her yearning for Frank feeling more substantial than the central romance. Tim Yap, loud and flamboyant as Rachel’s PR manager, often steals the spotlight from Frank altogether.</p><p>The thriller element is watered down. The stalker, played with expressive movement by Vien King, feels more symbolic than genuinely threatening, and the danger never really builds. The technical effects surrounding him, however, deserve credit: the use of scrims and video projections — particularly the multiplying monitors that emphasized his obsessive surveillance — added a sleek, cinematic layer to the storytelling.</p><p>The romance is similarly jumpy — Rachel goes from relentlessly scolding Frank to falling for him after a single rescue. Humor pops up here and there, but the story often takes a backseat to the music.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759229220555tbg_tdr-36.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Christine Allado in &#x27;The Bodyguard: The Musical.&#x27; <em>9 Works Theatrical</em></span></span></span></div><p>The show impresses in its design, though. Scenographer Mio Infante brings the West End’s glowing proscenium arches to Rockwell, with nested portals that recede inward to add depth and spectacle. Layered scrims create stage perspective — for example, a sofa in the foreground, a wall with windows behind it, trees further back, and skies beyond.</p><p>It’s a visual trick rarely seen in Manila theater, and it gives the stage a real sense of space. And with crisp acoustics and a raked 780-seat layout, the Proscenium Theater is ideal for the musical as its inaugural show.</p><p>But theater requires more than a soundtrack; it needs impact and connection. Here, those elements falter. What remains is a polished, often dazzling concert.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759229167594tbg_tdr-135.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Christine Allado in &#x27;The Bodyguard: The Musical.&#x27;<em> 9 Works Theatrical </em></span></span></span>Still, “The Bodyguard” survives on the timeless power of Houston’s music. The songs alone keep the evening afloat, and hearing them live is undeniably enjoyable and worth the ticket. You leave humming Houston’s hits — then go home to replay them on Spotify, or revisit the movie.</div><div><br/></div><div><em>&quot;The Bodyguard: The Musical&quot; runs until October 19 at the Proscenium Theater in Rockwell.</em></div>

<p>9 Works Theatrical's 'The Bodyguard: The Musical' opens Rockwell's new Proscenium Theater with dazzling design and Whitney Houston’s timeless hits. But the romance and drama never quite reach the same high notes.</p>

9 Works Theatrical's 'The Bodyguard: The Musical' opens Rockwell's new Proscenium Theater with dazzling design and Whitney Houston’s timeless hits. But the romance and drama never quite reach the same high notes.

Theater review: Concert-like 'Bodyguard' puts Whitney's hits above drama

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Theater review: Concert-like 'Bodyguard' puts Whitney's hits above drama

ABS-CBN Lifestyle,

Stephanie Mayo

Published Sep 30, 2025 07:16 PM PHT

Read More:

theater review

The Bodyguard

musical

9 Works Theatrical

Rockwell

Proscenium Theatre

Christine Allado

Whitney Houston

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