Based on the smash hit film, the award-winning musical lands in San Diego June 13
The Bodyguard the musical will be arriving here in San Diego June 13-18 at the Civic Theatre downtown.
The musical, based on the film of the same name, got its start in 2012 and went through many starts, stops and revisions for six years. It eventually opened Dec. 5, 2012 in London’s West End and ran until August of 2014.
The show went through many cast and venue changes as well but sales and public demand kept the show going for almost two years giving many, Grammy and Tony Award winners and R&B stars an opportunity to play the role that sent Whitney Houston’s star to the stratosphere.
The Bodyguard was originally written for Steve McQueen (Papillon, The Towering Inferno) and mega pop star Diana Ross (The Supremes, Lady Sings the Blues, The Wiz). The project stalled because McQueen was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, which is a type of cancer that is associated with asbestos exposure.
With McQueen no longer available producers then gave the part to Ryan O’Neal, best known for his work in Love Story and Paper Moon. Ross was still attached to the project, but many others, Olivia Newton-John, Pat Benatar, Cher, Madonna, Janet Jackson, were all considered to play Rachel Marron, but the part stayed with Ross until the project was ditched completely due to irreconcilable differences between Ross and O’Neal.
Eventually the film premiered in 1992 starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. Houston, due to nerves and fear, said no to the project originally. It would mark Houston’s debut in a feature film and she was afraid of failing. Two years after the initial offer, it is rumored that Costner called Houston to convince her to do the film. Costner was also rumored to be responsible for the decision to use the Dolly Parton song “I Will Always Love You” in the movie. The song went on to win Houston two Grammy’s and it sold over four million copies.
The musical follows the same storyline that the movie does. Singer, Rachel Marron needs a bodyguard after numerous death threats and a bomb scare. So, her manager, Bill Devaney (just Devaney in the musical version) seeks out former Secret Service agent turned professional bodyguard Frank Farmer to protect her.
In San Diego, the role of Rachel Marron is played by Grammy nominated Deborah Cox and Judson Mills (As The World Turns, Walker, Texas Ranger) plays her bodyguard Frank Farmer.
Cox made her Broadway debut in the musical Aida starring in the title role in 2004 and returned to Broadway in 2013 playing Lucy in the revival of Jekyll & Hyde starring Constantine Maroulis (American Idol finalist). The show received mostly bad reviews and closed early due to poor ticket sales.
Cox then went on to receive rave reviews in the musical Josephine, based on the life of Josephine Baker. The show is Broadway bound but no date has been set as of yet.
Cox has also been recognized for her efforts in support of Human Rights and Equality and was recently honored by The Harvey Milk Foundation for her efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the LGBTQ community.
The music in the The Bodyguard features all of the songs from the film, “I Will Always Love You”, “Queen of the Night”, “Run To You” and “I Have Nothing” to name a few, but they have also added many Houston hits to flesh out the musical making the show more like a Whitney Houston greatest hits album.
For tickets to The Bodyguard visit the Broadway San Diego box office at 1100 Third Ave., call 619-570-1100, or visit broadwaysd.com
