By Kristen Weyer.
“I Will Always Love You” is an iconic hit, and the theme of the fabulous musical The Bodyguard. The Gateway Playhouse is continuing its 70th Anniversary Season with this showstopper based on the classic film of the same name with screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan, and starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. With a book by Alexander Dinelaris, and full of classic songs such as “How Will I Know”, “Saving All My Love For You”, and “Run To You” amongst others, The Bodyguard is an impressive and powerful display of musical talent.
For all the beauty and musicality of this show, it is also intense, full of drama, suspense and dark moments. It starts you off with a bang, literally, as we are thrown directly into an assassination attempt showing us exactly what our hero Frank Farmer does for a living. When he takes on the job of protecting superstar Rachel Marron from a stalker, little do they know how much this experience and relationship will change them.
This cast is phenomenal. From the leads to the ensemble they form a brilliant group that is sure to please. Kimber Sprawl as Rachel is superb. Her stunning vocals soar and skip through the impressive songs with apparent ease. Not to mention her wonderful acting and dancing skills. Danea Osseni plays Rachel’s sister Nicki with equal talent, and if you doubt the probability of two fabulous powerhouse vocalists in one show, then just wait till you hear them. They will literally give you the chills, that’s how good they are. I only wish there had been more numbers for them together as their harmonies were spectacular.
Michael Shenefelt as Frank had an easy chemistry with both women, and wonderful characterization. Many times the strong male character comes across as stiff and unnatural, but Shenefelt managed to portray all the intense capability of his character without losing the charm of the romantic aspect. The twinkle in his eyes conveys volumes, and the karaoke scene is sure to be a favorite.
Matt Baguth portrayed The Stalker, nailing this intense and largely silent role. He made me feel decidedly uncomfortable at more than one moment, he’s believable and unsettling, and it’s fabulous. Logan Alexander is a natural as Bill Devaney with great characterization, while Joe Buono as Tony and Peter Simon Hilton as Sy Spector both bring humor and life to the stage. The talented young Thomas P. DeLoach is charming as Rachel’s son, Fletcher.
The stage was used to great effect, and set designers Christopher and Justin Swader’s elevated Stalker’s loft was particularly well staged. Costuming was fun and customized to each character. Unfortunately, at the performance I attended there were a number of sound issues which greatly detracted from the experience. Ranging from distracting and annoying all the way to physically painful, they also made the beautiful voices of the cast come across as shrill on more than one occasion. I have been informed from others who saw later performances that this was not the case when they attended; hopefully, this issue is already resolved and will not continue for the remainder of the run. Without these problems this show would be near perfection. As always, the orchestra under direction from Alexander Rovang was phenomenal.
The Bodyguard, directed and choreographed here by Keith Andrews with associate direction and choreography by Debbie Roshe, is a stunning blend of drama, romance, suspense and humor all wrapped together with show stopping music that combines itself into something you don’t always get: a magical evening of musical theatre. Get yourself a ticket, and go.