(Ta-Tynisa Wilson leads the gang in Slow Burn Theatre Company’s Bodyguard, The Musical (Photo by Larry Marano)
By Britin Haller
It’s not necessary to be a fan of Whitney Houston’s music, or her iconic 1992 film The Bodyguard, to enjoy The Bodyguard the Musical, now playing at the Broward Performing Arts Center and wrapping up Slow Burn Theatre Co.’s fifteenth season.
In fact, for someone who wasn’t particularly enamored of either Houston or The Bodyguard, and thus had low expectations going in, this show was a welcome surprise. Proving that just about anything can be made into a musical, this romantic thriller is the perfect combination of funny and scary, and a real audience pleaser from the get-go.
Artistic Director Patrick Fitzwater has directed every show that Slow Burn has produced (over seventy of them) and has an impressive list of Carbonell and Silver Palm awards and nominations on his belt. Once again, Fitzwater has done a fab job here, putting together an impressive cast and crew.
Following the international trend of casting TV talent show finalists as the lead character, American Idol Top 24 (2011) contestant Ta-Tynisa Wilson has the task of bringing to life Rachel Marron, the woman that Whitney Houston played in the film.
Wilson, a Beyonce impersonator at one point in her career, easily fits into Houston’s shoes, however it’s important to note that Rachel Marron is not meant to be the inimitable Houston herself, rather only a celebrity stuck in a terrifying position when the world starts closing in on her in the form of a stalker.
In a nice full-circle moment, Wilson’s mom was obsessed with the famous singer and encouraged her daughter to sing along with Whitney’s songs while they were doing chores. Wilson even auditioned with a Whitney cover for the American Idol judges, a move that’s against the show’s advice as Houston’s music is considered too iconic to try to do justice to.
So it’s not necessary to compare her to the legendary vocalist in that regard. Yes, Wilson is portraying a famous singer and is performing Whitney’s songs, but any comparison should end there. We don’t need, and shouldn’t expect, Wilson to be Whitney. Wilson understood this assignment and never tries to cross the line. Opening night jitters (perhaps) gave her a bit of a slow start, but by the third scene, she was in it.
The plot is thus … Rachel Marron, a pop-R&B single mother singer with a young son is receiving threats from an unknown source who has gotten too close for comfort physically. After a note is found in her dressing room, and a piece of her clothing is stolen, former Secret Service Agent Frank Farmer, who doesn’t like to work with diva celebrities, is called in to oversee her security. Rachel and Frank are almost like a modern day The Taming of the Shrew in the beginning, arguing about everything, which of course means at some point, they’ll fall in love.
But first they have to contend with an obtrusive personal assistant/sister and other members of Rachel’s team all of whom have differing opinions on how to keep her safe, on her public appearances including the Oscars’ ceremony, and The Stalker.
We open with a bang, literally, when we see Frank Farmer protecting a somebody, who looks important, from an assassin with a gun. With his jawline and well-fitting suit, actor Gabriell Salgado, as Farmer, cuts a striking figure. It’s easy to see why the ladies are impressed. Some critics wonder why Rachel falls so hard for the dry non-bending Farmer, but check out any list of what a woman looks for in a man, and you’ll find safety and security near the top. Farmer is nicely cast here and endears himself to us with his dry wit, and his intentionally not-so-good rendition of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.”
Notable changes have been made to the stage adaptation from Lawrence Kasden’s Oscar Award-nominated film. Namely Rachel’s sister, Nickki, has been watered down from a vengeful sibling to only a jealous one, in love with Frank, who does something stupid and pays a price. As a result, there’s one man out to get Rachel instead of two people, but Timothy Mark Davis (co-founder of New City Players) as The Stalker is horrifying enough to keep the suspense ratcheted.
Sadly, Frank and Tony never come to blows in the kitchen, and for some unknown reason, Frank now gives his name as Thomas Edison, instead of Alexander Graham Bell, when he first arrives and is testing out their existing (non-existent) security.
Lillie Eliza Thomas
Lillie Eliza Thomas stars as Nickki Marron, the sister who is beautiful to look at, and a terrific singer in her own right. It’s easy to see how she could be jealous of the sibling who has everything she wants, and seemingly could have, for herself. Thomas looks and sounds particularly lovely on “Saving All My Love.”
You know a villain has done well when he gets booed at curtain call, and Timothy Mark Davis, as The Stalker, received it like the compliment it was. Look up creepy in the dictionary and find Davis’s face next to it. Whether he’s in a hoodie, a military jacket and jeans, or dressed in black tie, Davis exudes an aura of this is not a guy you want to sit next to on the bus. Often Davis’s actions draw collective gasps from the audience, and likely we weren’t the only one with chills, especially in his moments with Rachel’s son, Fletcher.
In direct contrast, as Rachel’s child, Jaxon Compas has terrific chemistry with everyone. Compas drew in a lot of awwws from theater-goers, especially in scenes with Frank Farmer whom Fletcher quickly took a liking to as a surrogate father when they bonded over a model car. What a remarkable young actor Compas is, and so charismatic, rocking all his looks whether he’s in pajamas, a tuxedo, or busting some moves in “How Will I Know.” We only wish Compas was given his due at curtain call, allowing the young man to receive his own applause. He earned it.
Other members of Rachel’s entourage include Jerel Brown, as Bill Devaney, who casts a sympathetic presence as Rachel’s manager; Matthew W. Korinko as her music producer, Sy Spector (great name), the guy you know is slimy, but makes you laugh anyway, and Michael Materdomini as Rachel’s current bodyguard, Tony, who doesn’t want Frank stepping on his toes. Materdomini is cute as the man not-so secretly in love with Rachel. Tanner Fults plays four different roles, most noticeably as Ray, Frank’s former colleague.
Back-up singers Nayomi Braaf, Kaareema Khouri, and Steven Ross-Dybash add to the fun, while dance ensemble members Zach “Zoo” Finkelstein, Eli Flynn, Amanda Lopez, Cat Pagano (Dance Captain), Mikayla Queeley, Daniella Santos, Ethan Telfort, and Paul Tuaty wow us with some aggressive salsa and sashaying moves we’ve not seen the likes of before. Dance captain Cat Pagano delivers the best use of a ponytail ever. Zoo Finkelstein as Rachel’s onstage character as a choreographer has a blast, and catches our eye.
The sisters have some special moments together like writing “The Greatest Love of All” at the piano, and singing “Jesus Loves Me” to Fletcher at the cabin that Frank takes them to in order to keep them safe. Their “Run to You” song is pretty, and also chilling, as we realize both sisters are in love with Frank. An unintentional, perhaps, laugh comes when Rachel sings “He Fills Me Up” while Frank lies in bed after their lovemaking. It’s a nice ballad, and the flute sounds great.
But our favorite scene goes to karaoke night at the bar where Pagano and friends perform a truly hysterical version of “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.”
Musical Director Ryan Crout’s name looked familiar, and that’s because he wowed us (and everyone else!) as Mr. Krabs in last season’s SpongeBob the Musical. The orchestra of nine pieces, consisting of keyboards, bass, percussion, woodwinds, trumpet, and guitars, is seated at the rear of the stage behind some screening, and at times we are able to see them in action, which is a wonderful touch.
Technical Director Timothy S. Dickey oversaw, built, and installed the build based on designs from his talented creative team.
Nikolas Serrano transports us straight into the action with his clever scenic designs. Most lovely is his stone and wood cabin with a working fireplace. Go-to Lighting Designer Clifford Spulock had his work cut out for him with a lot of nightclubs, techno actions, projections, and spooky settings, and as usual, does not disappoint. Spulock also gets special mention for a very cool effect projecting Rachel’s face on a screen that shatters when The Stalker does a stalker thing.
Sound Designer Dan Donato lets us feel the feels, especially in one very memorable moment when Frank is silently reading The Stalker’s letter to himself, but we hear the voice of actor Timothy Mark Davis saying the words.
Costumes by Rick Pena are either mesmerizing, such as the glittery silver halter tops and exposed male chests for the dancers in “Queen of the Night;” dresses with fringe that lift up spectacularly during turns in “I’m Every Woman,” and Rachel’s white gown with gold brocades for the Oscars … or they leave us wondering why the ensemble has a consistently better look than the sisters who wear jeans, baggy sweaters, scarves, and sweat pants.
Although to be fair, the worst of Rachel’s looks ended up being a break-away costume. A laundry, or sales, tag hanging off the blanket in the cabin scene was giving us fits, but hopefully someone has removed that by now.
Choreographer, Reynel Reynaldo is to be commended for giving us a combination of dance moves resembling MTV videos and pop diva concerts that allow each member of his ensemble to shine, so much so it’s impossible to pick a favorite. Hold onto your seats during the insane (in a good way) “I’m Every Woman.”
The Bodyguard the Musical premiered in late 2012 in London’s West End. Whitney Houston had just passed away earlier that year. In fact, the star, Heather Headley, almost backed out in fear of the comparisons. But she stayed, and the show, with a book by Alexander Dinelaris, was an overnight success receiving an Olivier Award-nomination, and extending its run more than once, before going on to be produced in several other countries.
It was 2015 before producers brought it to the U.S. debuting at a regional playhouse in Houston’s birthplace state, and then heading out on a national tour.
In 2023, a televised debate about theater etiquette in the UK was held after instances of audience members singing along disrupted several shows. No such warnings appear in Broward, but perhaps as a compromise, we are encouraged after the curtain call to get up and sing and dance with the cast.
So what is The Bodyguard the Musical exactly? It’s not a traditional musical where the songs exist within the show, but none of the characters are aware of it. And although it’s widely considered to be a jukebox musical, it’s really not that either, because the songs are not used to tell the story, unless you count “Run to You” where we realize Rachel and Nickki’s sibling rivalry is going beyond the singing aspect of it, but we decipher that only though the staging, not through the lyrics themselves.
Most of the songs come straight from the Whitney Houston songbook and are performed in a nightclub, in the rehearsal studio, on stage at a concert, or at the Oscars, and by Rachel, Nickki, and the ensemble who are the only ones who sing. So, how do we define that? Do we even need to? Can’t we just say go with it, and have fun? We think we can.
We have questions for which we will likely never receive answers like where was Fletcher during the time he was thought to have been kidnapped, what exactly did happen when Frank was guarding the Senator, why was the first shoot-out with The Stalker offstage, and what was in the box on the driveway that Frank bought for Fletcher? Was it the world’s biggest model car? And how did Nickki know how to respond to The Stalker’s letter? Did he leave a return address?
But these are all issues with the book.
The movie soundtrack from Houston’s The Bodyguard is still the top-selling album of all time (fifty-million copies) even after thirty-some years. Whitney Houston’s 1992 cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” is to this day the best-selling single by a female artist, with an astonishing twenty-four million copies sold. So when that big “I Will Always Love You” moment comes, that moment everyone is waiting for, that moment when Ta-Tynisa Wilson takes to the stage raw, bare, and just her, singing a cappella in the beginning, everyone is collectively holding their breath to see if she will hit all those notes.
Even if you were more of a fan of the soulful sounds of Anita Baker (I’m raising hand) than the pop music of Whitney Houston, it’s worth the price of admission alone to see Timothy Mark Davis lovingly caress a dress, and hear Wilson attempt to hit those notes. And she does hit them. Every single one. It’s a beautiful full-circle moment in time for her (and her mom!), and one that really shouldn’t be missed.
From the What a Jerk Department: To the person sitting close to the stage who thought it was a good idea to pull out your phone and video Wilson during her final big number, while blinding everyone sitting around you with the bright white light, may the excrement of a thousand camels reign down upon your head. How everyone else just sat there doing nothing is a mystery.
Please be advised this show uses a colored laser to indicate when a gunshot is about to happen. Perhaps she thought it was real, but one over-stimulated audience member shouted “Red light, red light!” Thanks for the warning, we guess.
The Bodyguard the Musical from the Slow Burn Theatre Company plays through Sunday, June 22 in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW 5th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale; Evening shows are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; Matinees at 1 p.m. on Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. FYI: A special open-captioned performance is planned on Sunday, June 15 at 2 p.m. Running time approx. 135 minutes includes a 15-minute intermission. Tickets start at $86 for general admission, special pricing for teachers and students at box office only. Call Ticketmaster at 954-462-0222 or visit browardcenter.org
Britin Haller is a mystery author and an editor for Turner Publishing. Her recent short story “So Many Shores in Crookland” can be read in the 150th issue of Black Cat Weekly. Britin’s latest edit, a cozy mystery novel called Dumpster Dying is by Michelle Bennington and available where books are sold. Find Britin across social media.
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