In 'The Bodyguard The Musical,' Christine Allado sets the stage ablaze

Whitney Houston broke into the music scene with her self-titled 1985 debut album, which has her first chart-toppers "Saving All My Love For You," "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love Of All." At the 28th Grammy Awards in 1986, where she sang "Saving All My Love For You," Whitney also brought home the “Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female” award.

All these songs were used in the 1992 film “The Bodyguard,” cementing her status as one of the biggest pop stars, if not the biggest pop star in the world, eclipsing the then scandal-ridden Michael Jackson.

In 1993, the soundtrack for “The Bodyguard” won the Grammy Awards for “Album Of The Year.”

Even after her tragic death in February, 2012, Whitney’s songs remain among the top most requested, most covered songs ofall time.

Just mention “The Voice” and other similar talent-search contests all over the world and Whitney’s “Run To You,” “Where do Broken Hearts Go,” “I Have Nothing,” “I’m Every Woman,” “All At Once,” and her two most revived songs until now, “One Moment In Time” and “I Will Always Love You” will always be there. 

These days, whenever “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is played on the dance floor or randomly in malls and bars, people get up and dance.

All these songs are in “The Bodyguard the musical” and that’s what happened at The Proscenium Theater’s Main Hall during the encore. Everybody was up on their feet singing their hearts and lungs out, their “pagpipigil” (intense restraint) to dance while watching the two-hour show was let loose.   

‘Kilig story’

Gen Zs and millennials may have first taste of Whitney from their Titos and Titas during videoke sessions in family gatherings but “The Bodyguard” is a “kilig” aspirational romantic story much like K-dramas the younger generations like.

Rachel is a very popular singer being hounded by a stalker, Agent Laney, who is so obsessed, he wants to kill her.

Rachel's management team hires Frank Farmer, a former secret service agent to be her bodyguard and we all know how proximity works. Someone falls for the other, will the other catch feelings too?

Conquering Manila

Despite the stormy weather, 9 Works Theatrical’s opening weekend was nearly sold out.

Filipino-British Christine Allado, in her first major role in the land of her birth, embodies Rachel Marron as if the character was written for her. She dances and sings as if Whitney has come alive on stage (in a good way). She acts with enough aplomb, making sure not to overshadow her two other lead co-actors Matt Blaker, who plays Frank, and Sheena Palad who slays as Rachel’s older sister Nicki Marron. 

When she hits the high notes in “I Will Always Love You” and “I Have Nothing,” you feel the goosebump-inducing dopamine rush and you could only wish your tone-deaf seatmates won’t sing along to ruin the moments. The same rush is felt when Sheena Palad does her songs and at one point, a duet with Christine. Theirs are the kind of performances that appears in your day dreams, makes you hooked to Whitney’s discography on Spotify.

It’s been said many times but having read all the accolades on Christine as one of the most sought-after theater actresses in the London West End, the Filipino audience can now experience the “patotoo” (manifestation). At the very least, Christine brings back the dignity and pride of being Filipino, of being world-class artists. Suddenly, we’re not just corrupt politicians turned world-class thieves and fugitives. 

Christine was nearly unknown in the local theater circuit in her early years. From the time she boarded a plane to work in Hong Kong Disneyland while she was on her second year in UP Diliman, taking up Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, we never heard from her again until she made it big in the United Kingdom. And now, she’s back to her home country and making history, her well-deserved mark in the local theater scene, slaying as Rachel Marron. 

The six-foot-two-inch tall, handsome, buffed Matt Blaker is a heartthrob on stage, no doubt, but he can also shift from being romantic lead to comic sidekick. It’s easy to make the female and gay members of the audience swoon with his looks and acting chops but making them laugh, not the polite, forced giggles, but really laugh that you feel good afterwards is a major come-on. Take note of the karaoke scene.

King rules the stage

Now, there’s Vien King as the silent, cunning stalker. King mostly played romantic lead in many local staging of Broadway and West End musicals done by Manila-based companies but this time, he proves how versatile he is, how effective he is in playing the bad guy. Most of his scenes are without dialogues but with slow body movements (we can’t see his facial expression) to cause fear, like staring in the dark with a knife or a sniper’s gun as he plans his next move, he effortlessly owns the stage as a scary psychopath. These are proof that King is ready to conquer the world stage given the opportunity. 

Sparkle talent Tim Yap as Sy Spector, who is Rachel’s “good vibes” publicist, is a natural comedian.  Yap has background in acting, only few may know it, because he had training in Repertory Philippines when he was a kid. And it shows in “The Bodyguard.” 

The topnotch actors are not the only one treating the audience with world-class performances. The Proscenium Theater main performance hall has a state-of-the-art acoustic design that truly enhances the performer’s voices while retaining the authenticity. There are no bad seats. Anywhere you are seated, you can see and hear the performers clearly. It makes the jobs easier for sound engineer/designer Aji Manalo, lighting designer Shakira Villa-Symes, video and projection designer GA Fallarme and technical director Jay Aranda.

(The whole building is called The Proscenium Theater, which also houses the 780-seat plus Main Performance Hall and the soon-to-be-opened Black Box Theater wherein “The Bodyguard‘s” cast members rehearsed).

Hats off to scenographer Mio Infante, who makes sure there’s no awkward, distracting scene and set changes, and to choreographer Arnold Trinidad as well as the team of backup dancers, who also deliver happy-hormone-inducing performances. 

All in all, director Robbie Guevara and musical director Daniel Bartolome, who conducts the live orchestra, deliver a light-hearted, immensely feel-good, some may say, nostalgic, incredibly entertaining Broadway musical to Manila that is perfect for the whole family.

The best thing with “The Bodyguard the Musical” is how all the songs are performed in full, not just excerpts or a stanza here and there to fit the dialogues. We are able to enjoy each of Whitney’s songs like we were watching her in concert. 

We have so many anxiety triggers in the news nowadays and we deserve better “escape” from all the maddening investigations on systemic corruption in government. We can go further in saying “The Bodyguard” is a must-watch musical, twice or more. For the first experience, you could just enjoy the story, let it all in. Second experience is when you can just sing and dance in your seat,.

For sure, the encore “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” will make you dance and sing in the bathroom even days after the experience. 

The musical runs until October 19. 

Follow 9 Works Theatricals and The Proscenium Theater’s socials for details.  — LA, GMA Integrated News