By: Jim Hutchins
Prepare to be blown away.
The Bodyguard: The Musical has everything:
The stars and the songs,
The glitz and the glamour,
The drama and the thrills.
The Plymouth audience turned out in force last night.
Whether they came for the music, the romance or simply to see Adam Garcia again, nobody left disappointed. By the end, the audience were fizzing with excitement.
In this performance, Mireia Mambo is outstanding as Rachel Marron. She performs these huge songs with both power and elegance, while demonstrating complete ownership of the character.
The chemistry between Rachel and Frank sparkles in every word, smile and glance.
Mireia’s theatre credits include Evita, A Chorus Line, Sunset Boulevard, Westside Story and many more.
Adam Garcia is an excellent Frank Farmer with all the presence needed to make this character feel authentic. We empathise with his backstory and easily relax into his lighter moments. To be fair, though, his most talked-about scene may turn out to be the bedroom scene – even though he doesn’t actually say a word!
Adam Garcia’s film and television credits are extensive. For many, though, he’ll always be remembered as Kevin in Coyote Ugly.
Sasha Monique played Rachel’s sister, Nicki.
Sacha’s character, Nicki, was present and believable, and we could feel her frustration at not only wanting to be a singer in her own right but also her unrequited feelings for Frank.
For me, her vocals were among the highlights of the evening, particularly during her solo numbers.
Nine-year-old Mason Dyett makes an impressive professional debut as Rachel’s son, Fletcher. His confident performance easily wins over the audience.
Set and Costume Designer, Tim Hatley, excels in this production. The visual impact is exciting throughout the show and the costumes are wonderful. In particular, the image of Rachel Marron held still by a single spotlight in that black dress will stay with me.
Thea Sharrock’s direction doesn’t let us forget that this is a thriller and we are steered through tensions, joy and humour without ever sacrificing the music or the pace of this drama.
Many of us are drawn here for the music and we are rewarded again and again with favourites such as I Wanna Dance with Somebody, I Will Always Love You, Queen of the Night and How Will I Know.
One Moment in Time, though, stands above all the others.
Under the musical direction of Charlie Ingles, the live orchestra produces a remarkably full sound despite it’s small size. The music provides a solid foundation for the show’s powerhouse vocals.
The original 1992 film remains one of our most loved movie musicals. The Bodyguard was the second highest-grossing film of that year worldwide. It’s soundtrack won three Grammy Awards and was also nominated for Academy Awards.
The stage musical originally opened to great success at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End in 2012 and unsurprisingly has since enjoyed sixteen further productions and tours all over the world. This is the fourth UK tour since it’s opening run and may be one of the strongest yet!
Be it the karaoke scene (my favourite), the humour, the drama, the romance or the spectacular songs, there’s something in this musical for everyone.
The Bodyguard: The Musical is on at Theatre Royal Plymouth from Monday 6 July to Saturday 11 July 2026.