Children of the ’80s rejoice! For 2017 is looking to be a vintage season of musical versions of your favourite films – including the freshly announced tour of the musical version of The Bodyguard, and the previously announced Sydney Theatre Company/Global Creatures co-production of Muriel's Wedding – The Musical.
Premiering on London's West End in 2012, Alexander Dinelaris's musical version of The Bodyguard is based on the 1992 film starring your ’90s boyfriend Kevin Costner as an ex-Secret Service agent hired to protect a superstar from her stalker, and Whitney Houston as the damsel-in-distress, Rachel Marron. Needless to say, he does more that just guard her body.
According to Time Out London, the book is cheesier than Stinking Bishops – but the musical ticks along nicely thanks to a soundtrack featuring Houston's hits – including the Dolly Parton-penned heartbreaker 'I Will Always Love You'. As the TOL reviewer wrote:
"No scientific experiment has been performed to see how many Whitney Houston numbers any individual can hear without feeling their hips and possibly even their heart-rate shifting, but for this critic it was about five."
The Australian tour of The Bodyguard (produced by Michael Harrison, David Ian and John Frost) will kick off in Sydney in April 2017. Watch this space for casting info and Melbourne dates.