Calling all Whitney Houston fans: a nationally-touring production of The Bodyguard – yep, the very same show that saw audience members forcibly removed from a theatre in Manchester recently – is coming to the Churchill Theatre next week.
It stars ex-Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton opposite soap star Ayden Callaghan (Emmerdale, Hollyoaks), and features many of the legendary singer Whitney Houston’s greatest hits, including ‘Queen of the Night’, ‘One Moment in Time’, ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ and mic drop finale number ‘I Will Always Love You’.
Based on the 1992 movie which starred Whitney Houston herself (in her acting debut) opposite Kevin Costner, the story follows former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard Frank Farmer, who’s been hired to protect internationally famous singer Rachel Marron from a threatening stalker. Against the odds, the two fall in love, but it’s not as simple as that, is it? Frank has to think of Rachel as a client – one whose life is in danger.
While on the one hand, the story behind The Bodyguard follows a familiar trope of male hero rescuing a damsel in distress, there’s no straight, happy ending here, and the characters are more complex than, say, those of a Disney adventure.
“I think there’s a wonderful love story there,” says Ayden, when we catch up before the show arrives in Bromley.
“There’s two characters who on the surface you think are from entirely different worlds and are two very different people, but what you come to realise is at the core, there’s a real connection of something that they share,” he explains. “Both their lives are intense and dangerous. Both are incredibly committed to what they do and very good at what they do.
“It’s a bitter sweet love story, we don’t get to see them go skipping off into the sunset… As actors, we’ve had to come up with why this doesn’t happen… actually, there’s no greater act of love than sacrifice. We can all connect with that,” he reflects.
The Bodyguard marks TV regular Ayden’s first time on stage in 12 years. “I always loved rehearsals and getting back out on stage has been a real pleasure,” he says.
The show’s UK producers Michael Harrison and David Ian had been eyeing up Ayden for the role of Frank for some time. He was first offered the part back in 2018, when the show was last heading off on tour. “It’s a great part and I know it’s a great show, but it wasn’t the right time,” he says, looking back. But things change, and “when they came back at the end of last summer, I was really ready for it.”
Despite loving the movie and being eyed up for the show by its creative team, starring in a stage version of The Bodyguard wasn’t an obvious choice for Ayden.
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“I’m not a musical theatre performer,” he explains, “so I was a bit hesitant about that, but I talked to the director [Thea Sharrock] and producers, and they insisted this is an acting role that’s the anchor of the show, so for me it’s like doing a play within a musical.”
He also consulted his friend Ben Richards, who is currently starring as the Duke in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, but who previously played the part of Frank in The Bodyguard, and Ben was able to convince Ayden to take the role.
In fact, there’s virtually no singing involved for the part of Frank. “He only has to sing in one scene at the end of the first act, where Frank and Rachel are out on a date. She wins a bet and Frank has to sing karaoke.”
Cue the play’s earlier, intentionally unmoving rendition of ‘I Will Always Love You’. “I was assured I don’t have to be a good singer, and I can do bad singing pretty well,” he laughs.
“Fortunately, the audience will get to hear a beautiful rendition of ‘I Will Always Love You’ at the end of the show. I ruin it and then Melody does it beautifully.”
It was as Melody was singing the show’s hero number that the aforementioned drama in Manchester kicked off. Ordinarily, a touring production of a musical doesn’t make national headlines. But on Friday April 7, audience members were forcibly removed from the performance of The Bodyguard at the Palace Theatre in Manchester for “singing over the lead” during the all-important final song. The event was seen as a tipping point in the ongoing debate about audience behaviour during shows and the event was covered by all major news outlets.
It was an incident the cast of The Bodyguard has been swift to move on from. “We’ve been playing to big audiences of 2,000 plus, and 99.9% of people are enjoying it in the way they’re meant to be enjoying it. Sometimes things happen in large crowds of people that are unfortunate, and theatres have to try and deal with it as best they can,” says Ayden, fairly.
“We want everyone to have a wonderful time and enjoy the show to their fullest. At the end, there’s a sensational finale where everyone is up on their feet,” he adds, referring to the final number, ‘ I wanna Dance With Somebody’, which the whole company sings and the audience is invited to join in.
“I never thought I’d get to see the inside of a musical. It’s been a lot of fun,” grins the Lincoln-based actor, who always takes his PlayStation on the road with him for some gaming in his downtime. He’s a dad now, he tells me, and grateful for Facetime, which allows him to see his children and wife, the actress Sarah-Jane Honeywell, every day.
While strictly speaking, The Bodyguard falls into the category of a jukebox musical, which can be defined as a musical in which the majority of the songs are well-known pop songs rather than original music, Ayden is emphatic that the term undermines the show.
“The soundtrack is sensational. I’ve heard people call it a jukebox musical but it’s really not that. It’s not just a rendition of [Whitney Houston’s] pop songs, they form part of the narrative. The characters’ words in those moments help tell the story,” he explains. “I think we’ve elevated it above the status of a jukebox musical and I’d argue that with anybody.”
The Bodyguard is showing at the Churchill Theatre, High Street, Bromley BR1 1HA. May 15 – 20, 7:30pm and additionally 2:30pm on Thursday and Saturday. Admission: £32+.
www.churchilltheatre.co.uk/Online/tickets-the-bodyguard-bromley-2023
