The songs are swell in touring jukebox musical, but the plot is even dopier than that of the 1992 movie
Is there any reason why the 1992 movie thriller “The Bodyguard” should work as musical theater? Of course not.
But as long as we’re here, let’s concentrate on the one thing that makes the touring show, currently at the Fisher Theatre as part of the Broadway in Detroit series, almost worth seeing: Deborah Cox.
The singer, also the musical bright spot on the 2012-13 tour of “Jekyll & Hyde,” embodies the sass and sparkle of Rachel Marron (played by Whitney Houston in the movie), the R&B superstar who bristles when she’s assigned a new bodyguard, Frank Farmer (Judson Mills).
We know at first what Rachel doesn’t: There is a madman on the prowl, and he’s leaving threatening notes and taking personal items from her dressing room. We see the stalker (Jorge Paniagua) through projected images on a front-of-stage scrim as he strokes a knife or sniffs a stolen dress.
Like a lot of modern shows, especially touring ones, “The Bodyguard” employs a lot of projection to put the story and settings across. This is how we get that iconic image, in larger-than-life silhouette, of Frank cradling a just-rescued Rachel in his arms.
What “The Bodyguard” doesn’t scrimp on is the music. Cox, occasionally aided by Jasmin Richardson as Rachel’s sister Nicki, blasts through “I Will Always Love You,” “I Have Nothing,” “I’m Every Woman” and other hits that still afford “The Bodyguard” bragging rights as the world’s top-selling movie soundtrack.
Cox does more than mimic Houston She adds some fresh phrasing to a slightly up-tempo “Greatest Love of All,” one of a handful of extra songs (“How Will I Know,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” are also here) from the Whitney Houston songbook that are included in the show.
Cox is most at home in big Vegas-style production numbers, usually flanked by ultra-toned dancers in tight, sparkly outfits. As an actress, she is comparable to Houston, who made her screen acting debut in the movie by pretty much playing herself.
The “Bodyguard” story doesn’t give actors much to work with. The musical’s plot machinations are even dopier than the movie’s — and downright incomprehensible if you don’t know the movie well.
Some questions: What exactly is happening during that opening standoff involving Frank and a gunman, or is it just a cheap way to start the show with a bang? Is Rachel’s son (Flint native Kevelin B. Jones III on opening night) kidnapped or what?
And don’t even get me started on the offstage shootout between Frank and the stalker while we are left behind in a lakeside cabin with Rachel, Nicki and a cracked-voice version of the hymn “Jesus Loves Me.”
For his part, Mills’ Frank is appropriately square-jawed and stoic in dark suits. If he looks out of place (as if he stepped out of an old film noir) amid all of the pop music razzle-dazzle, that’s kind of the point.
Nothing I can say will deter Houston fans from seeing the show, and it really shouldn’t. There are plenty of enjoyable moments here, including a karaoke scene in which Mills shows why Cox does all of the singing.
An encore, which brings out the entire cast, is also fun. The message here? Don’t take “The Bodyguard” too seriously. Just enjoy the musical talent that Cox and company bring to the stage.
Two stars
out of four stars
Fisher Theatre
8 p.m. Tue. – Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sun. Through Jan. 28.
Fisher Theatre
3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit
313-872-1000
broadwayindetroit.com
$39 and up
