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The Bodyguard

Reyma Deveza

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA -- For British stage actor Matt Blaker, who plays Frank Farmer in &quot;The Bodyguard The Musical,&quot; what impressed him most about doing the hit production in the Philippines isn’t just the new Proscenium Theater in Makati — it’s the passion and world-class talent of his Filipino castmates. </p><p>Calling them “the most driven” and “so talented,” Blaker said performing alongside Christine Allado, Sheena Palad, and the rest of the company has been the highlight of his Manila debut.</p><p>Fresh from the musical&#x27;s successful opening weekend, Blaker and Palad talked about the production in an interview on ANC&#x27;s &quot;Headstart&quot; on Monday, September 30.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s been incredible. The hospitality has been insane. I have the most amazing time. It&#x27;s my first time in the Philippines and I&#x27;m already planning my next trip in the Philippines. It&#x27;s been brilliant,&quot; said Blaker, who was cast in the role originally played by Kevin Costner in the 1992 film.</p><p>In 9 Works Theatrical&#x27;s &quot;The Bodyguard,&quot; Blaker stars opposite lead actress Allado, who takes on Whitney Houston&#x27;s iconic role of Rachel Marron. </p><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>Blaker, who is doing the musical for the first time, also praised Rockwell’s new 780-seater state-of-the-art Proscenium Theater. </p><p>&quot;The Proscenium got all of the capabilities of all the best West End theaters. It&#x27;s got a fully automated fly. It&#x27;s got the ability to bring the set on and off. The orchestra pit comes up and down. It&#x27;s a brand new sort of world-class venue and that&#x27;s reflected in stuff you are able to see on stage. The guys were able to create this sort of absolute product that rivals anything you would see on the West End,&quot; he said.</p><p>Blaker said it&#x27;s also his first time working with a cast of mostly Filipino artists.  </p><p>&quot;They are the most passionate, the most driven and they care so deeply about their work and their craft. ... They are so talented, the guys are all so incredible.  Obviously singing is the national sport of the Philippines, so the vocals are all world-class across the board,&quot; Blaker said.</p><p>&quot;Most of the singing is done by Christine. We don&#x27;t get to hear so many of the voices... Luckily we hear Sheena&#x27;s voice, but each and everyone of them has a fantastic singing voice... Without a doubt they are passionate and so driven and they just love what they do so much,&quot; he added. </p><p>In the interview, Palad said that it was an honor to work with Blaker and Allado.  In the musical, Palad plays Nicki, the sister of Allado&#x27;s character Rachel.</p><p>&quot;It was so good but I felt the pressure a little because I&#x27;ll be working with Matt and Christine. I&#x27;ve been learning a lot from them just observing them and seeing how they work, they are so professional. And they are so fun to work with,&quot; said Palad, who plays Rachel Marron&#x27;s sister Nicki.</p><p>In the musical, Palad gets to sing &quot;Saving All My Love For You&quot; and &quot;All At Once,&quot; two of Houston&#x27;s biggest hits.</p><p>Asked of the highlight of her character&#x27;s arc in the musical, Palad replied: &quot;I think it would be the connection that I have with Rachel, napapakita kasi &#x27;yung pagka-Filipino. The family side of Rachel and Nicki and how Nicki supports Rachel in her career. And it&#x27;s kind of like the culture here in the Philippines. And not just the singing, it&#x27;s just the cherry on top of all of these but... it’s really that the love of the family.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><em>&quot;The Bodyguard The Musical&quot; opened last September 26 and runs until October 19 with 8 p.m. shows on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. matinees on Saturdays and Sundays.</em></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/9/3/meet-matt-blaker-who-s-stepping-into-kevin-costner-s-role-in-the-bodyguard-musical-1234" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Meet Matt Blaker, who&#x27;s stepping into Kevin Costner’s role in &#x27;The Bodyguard&#x27; musical</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/9/25/-the-bodyguard-musical-promises-new-thrills-modern-twists-to-classic-love-story-1233" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">‘The Bodyguard&#x27; musical promises new thrills, modern twists to classic love story</a></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><strong></strong><br/></div>

<p>British stage actor Matt Blaker, who plays Frank Farmer in '<i>The Bodyguard The Musical',</i> says what impressed him most about the production is the passion and world-class talent of his Filipino castmates.</p>

British stage actor Matt Blaker, who plays Frank Farmer in ' The Bodyguard The Musical', says what impressed him most about the production is the passion and world-class talent of his Filipino castmates.

West End star Matt Blaker lauds Filipino talent in ‘The Bodyguard' musical

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West End star Matt Blaker lauds Filipino talent in ‘The Bodyguard' musical

Reyma Deveza,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 30, 2025 05:28 PM PHT

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The Bodyguard

The Musical

Matt Blaker

Sheena Palad

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