The stage version of The Bodyguard seems to have attracted better notices than the 1992 hit movie that inspired it. The musical remake of the Whitney Houston film was announced shortly before the singer’s death in 2012 and has since served as a memorial to the tormented R&B legend. Not only that, but it expands on the film, putting its actress/singer heroine at the forefront and deepening her relationships. (It’s a cinch, too, that the theater version will stage a better re-creation of the Oscar ceremony than the movie did.)
Of course, there’s also a large helping of Whitney Houston songs in the show, both from the movie and elsewhere. Though a few songs (“Saving All My Love,” “All at Once”) are given to other characters, the leading lady still has to belt out “I’m Every Woman,” “One Moment in Time,” “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” and others each night, so it promises to be an endurance test for Deborah Cox, the R&B singer who followed in Houston’s footsteps in the late 1990s and who’ll be playing the part of Rachel Marron. The Bodyguard makes its Fort Worth premiere at Bass Hall this Tuesday, and it’s likely to make you so emotional.
The Bodyguard runs Tue thru Aug 6 at Bass Performance Hall, 555 Commerce St, FW. Tickets are $44-115. Call 817-212-4280.
