This is our review of The Bodyguard at Liverpool‘s Empire Theatre!
Synopsis Of The Bodyguard
The iconic story of The Bodyguard returns to the Liverpool Empire by popular demand. This musical follows Frank Farmer, former Secret Service agent, now bodyguard, who is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Befitting for a musical romance, nothing quite goes as expected and the sparks are soon flying between our leading lovers…
Starring Emily Williams as Rachel Marron, Ayden Callaghan as Frank Farmer, Emily-Mae as Nicki Marron, James Groom as Sy Spector, John Macaulay as Bill Devaney, Graham Elwell as Tony Scibelli, Marios Nicolaides as The Stalker, and Phil Atkinson as Ray Court.
Analysis Of The Bodyguard
This performance starts off with a bang (quite literally) and finishes just as strong. Not only is this show beautifully staged, but the performers on stage leave nothing amiss. From the strong vocal melodies to the eye-catching dancing, the audience is fully on board for the ride.
Without a doubt, Ryo Appadu as Fletcher is undoubtedly the dark horse of the whole show. Early in Act 1, Appadu boasts about his performance skills before throwing himself into a dance number with the ensemble. This isn’t the average performance you’d expect from a child actor. Appadu definitely performs at a professional level, outshining everyone else on stage with him. If the other boys playing Fletcher are on par with Appadu, you’re in for a treat!
Lighting
One part of the show that causes some issues involves the flashing/rotating lights in the first song. Rachel Marron played by Emily Williams performs a wonderful rendition of All At Once with a full-encompassing ensemble. Though the sound and performance were high quality, I, unfortunately, had to keep lowering my eyes due to the intense flashing and rotating of the stage lights and fire shooting up from the front of the stage.
Though this did give the effect of an arena performance, my eyes were streaming from the bright lights – much more than usual when these effects are utilised in performances. If you’re sensitive to light, I’d advise bringing your sunglasses for this first number so you don’t miss the magic happening on stage.
Summary Of The Bodyguard
Other than the occasional pacing issue, this show is thoroughly enjoyable. Whether you’re a fan of the film or if you’ve never seen The Bodyguard before, you’re sure to enjoy this performance. Make sure you catch it before it closes later this week!
